Falcons scrub 'Nazi-like' imagery from viral throwback logo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It's throwback week in Atlanta, where the Falcons will pay tribute to a different era as they host the 49ers on Sunday.
The design itself isn't sitting well with some fans, though.
While the logo is an exact replica of what the franchise used as its primary icon from 1989-2002, the imagery of the logo plastered onto black, gold and cream-colored striping resembled a Nazi insignia in the eyes of some observers.
Here's what you need to know about the controversy and whether the Falcons have responded.
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Falcons viral throwback logo controversy
The Falcons put their throwback logo, which will be worn on this weekend's helmets, on black, gold and cream-colored helmet striping, which some fans believed closely resembled Nazi imagery.
The tweet featuring the logo quickly went viral for the wrong reasons:
New PFP 👀 https://t.co/gBXWISJav4
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 21, 2026
The Falcons made the image their profile picture but have since changed the image while leaving the tweet untouched.
Atlanta used the logo itself as its primary icon from 1989-2002, but the uniforms were set to be a throwback to the 1966 look that featured a red helmet with gold, white and black stripes, similar to the background of the image the team posted.
This is the 1966 helmet that the Falcons are referencing:
To the vastly uneducated, this bird was the Falcons logo from 1966 to 2002. The red and black honor Georgia and the gold honors Georgia Tech. We wear these every year as throwbacks. This is nothing new https://t.co/sFMGaKtl8T
— Chanluh 🪐 (@chxnluh) October 22, 2026
While the Falcons changed their profile picture, they will be going forward with the throwback helmet, which features the stripes running down the middle rather than running behind the logo at any point. The Falcons' new profile picture features the helmet with the throwback logo in front of a plain red background.
Falcons response to throwback logo controversy
The Falcons have not yet commented on the controversy surrounding their throwback logo.
It would be hard to say the logo itself is controversial, as it was used in some form by the Falcons for decades and has been prominent in throwback sets over the years. The placement of the logo on top of the stripes from the 1966 helmet, however, upset some fans.
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