Sydney Sweeney might have told a bold-faced lie on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week. #GonzagaGate has officially begun!
Sweeney, who is currently promoting her new film ‘Anyone But You’ with Glenn Powell, swung by Rockefeller Center earlier this week to join the program on NBC. While there, she gifted Fallon with a basketball signed by the entire Gonzaga college basketball team.
The 26-year-old actress is from Spokane. The 49-year-old host has been vocal in support of the Bulldogs over the last few seasons.
Fallon asked Sweeney about the ball and how it came into her possession. She claimed that it came to be after multiple players on the team slid into her DMs. No additional explanation was provided.
Upon further investigation, it appears as though only two Bulldogs follow Sydney Sweeney on Instagram: junior forward Ben Gregg and fifth-year forward Anton Watson. In turn, it would make most sense if those two were the ones who shot their shot.
However, Sweeney’s story may not be the truth!
Did Sydney Sweeney lie???
Shortly after I published my expose into Gonzaga basketball’s thirst (can you blame them?), I was inundated with countless messages from fans of the program. They claim that Sweeney made up the entire story!
Rick Clark, graduate of the university, currently serves as a prominent voice in the Spokane community. He is the founder and executive director of Giving Back Packs Spokane, as well as a motivational speaker.
His friend, John Coy Jr., is a licensed contractor who owns his own construction company. The John Coy Company is currently helping to remodel Sweeney’s mother’s house.
That, apparently, is how Jimmy Fallon’s gift came to be. Although Coy and Clark’s account does include Gregg, it disproves Sweeney’s story.
Here is what Clark had to say on Facebook:
So, funny story:
Last week my buddy Johnny Coy called me and said “we need to get a basketball signed by the entire GU team!”
I was like “well good luck with that!” 😂
He went on to tell me about a house that he’s helping remodel, that is owned by Sydney Sweeney‘s mother. Sydney Sweeney is a big-time actress from Spokane. Her mom, Lisa is a Zags alum and wanted to present Jimmy Fallon with the ball when they went to be on his show this week.
I called Ben Gregg and he said he was a huge fan of Sydney’s and that he would make it happen! Johnny and I spent the ENTIRE day last week getting a ball, getting it to Ben, waiting, praying, and then picked up the ball at 10pm the night before Sydney and her mom flew out!
— Rick Clark on Facebook
In addition to his story about the signed ball, Clark provided photos. They clearly depict him and local Spokane brewery owner John Bryant “with the ball before they let it go.”
The official Gonzaga University page replied to Clark’s post: “You rock, Rick! Love when GonZAGa gets national attention!”
Hmmmmm…..
So it seems as though Sweeney received the ball that she gave to Fallon through Clark, who was contacted by Coy, who is renovating Sweeney’s mother’s house. Gregg just helped to facilitate.
It is absolutely possible that these two things are not mutually exclusive. Sweeney could have received the gift because of her mom’s contractor’s connection to the program and multiple players might have slid into her DMs.
With that being said, the story she told on the Tonight Show about how the ball came into her possession does not appear to be the truth. #GonzagaGate is alive and well!