FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons posted a rendering of their throwback logo Wednesday on social media that created an online backlash, with some posters comparing it to imagery found in Nazi Germany.
The post featured the franchise's throwback black-and-white bird logo, which it used from the 1960s all the way up to the early 2000s. Behind the logo were vertical stripes in red, black and gold. The colors are a reference to the team's 1966 uniform, which consisted of a red helmet, the black Falcons logo, and black, white and gold striping on the pants.
The Falcons' post remains up, but the team changed its X and Instagram profile photos to one with just the red retro helmet with the black throwback logo on it and no vertical stripes.
The Falcons have worn the retro logo for games every year since 2009 with the exception of several years when the NFL prevented teams from using an alternative helmet color. Atlanta will wear the logo Sunday when it hosts the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The presentation of the retro logo on top of the vertical striping in those colors on that specific social media post seems to be the object of controversy. The stripes will appear down the middle of the team's red helmet and not behind the logo like the graphic showed.
The Falcons declined to comment on the situation. An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank is Jewish and has donated millions to Holocaust remembrance organizations through the Molly Blank Fund, which is named after his mother. In 2023, Blank donated $1.5 million to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.