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| - The internet loves blending truth with fiction when it comes to Keanu Reeves' legendary reputation, and one claim is no exception. Reeves, who played quarterback Shane Falco in the 2000 football movie "The Replacements," supposedly was so good that he was invited to try out for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
The claim has been making the rounds on social media for years.
For instance, in October 2024, an Instagram post claimed: "Keanu Reeves was reportedly so good at quarterback while shooting the movie 'The Replacements' that the Baltimore Ravens invited him to tryout in 2000." That post received nearly 150,000 likes, as of this writing:
This claim appeared to have first gained widespread attention in 2013 when ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller tweeted the following:
I leave you with this: Keanu Reeves was offered a tryout at QB with the #Ravens while filming "The Replacements."
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 14, 2013
Although Miller's statement was widely shared, it offered no source or additional details to corroborate the story. While recollections from those who took part in filming and behind-the-scenes commentary hint at Reeves' athletic prowess, no concrete evidence confirms that such an invitation was ever extended.
Other sources, including IMDb, have repeated the claim, noting that "during filming, Keanu Reeves was offered a tryout with the Baltimore Ravens." The post links to an October 2024 article by FandomWire as its source, which stated that the Ravens were impressed enough by Reeves' on-set quarterbacking skills to invite him for a tryout. However, no direct evidence supports this assertion.
It's true that during pre-production for "The Replacements," Reeves reportedly participated in an intensive football training camp in Baltimore to prepare for his role. The camp was led by football coordinators Allan Graf and Mark Ellis, both experienced athletic professionals who had also worked on director Oliver Stone's football film "Any Given Sunday."
In a behind-the-scenes archival YouTube video titled, "2000 Keanu Reeves/Making the plays: an actor's guide to football/The Replacements," several people involved in the movie's production spoke of the football training the actors endured during production. Ellis praised Reeves' athleticism and joked about the idea of him playing professionally:
"He's got a great arm, he's real athletic. He could be drafted here at Ravens Stadium [M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore]. [...] Gene Upshaw, the player personnel guy, was looking at him the other day and wanted to have a tryout, so that got a pretty good laugh out of everybody. I'm not so sure he [Reeves] wants to take the hits from these big guys, but he can throw it good enough."
This comment appears to have been made in jest, with no follow-up or confirmation that an actual tryout was arranged. Upshaw died in 2008, so we're unable to confirm that part of Ellis' claim.
In the YouTube video, Reeves mentioned his on-set primary quarterback coach T.J. Rubley, who the actor described as "an excellent teacher." In a 2022 feature by sports-based subscription outlet The Athletic, Rubley, a former NFL quarterback who played for several teams during the 1990s, recalled that Reeves was a hard worker with natural athletic ability:
Truth be told, when Keanu was done, he could drop back, he could throw just about every throw on the route tree. He probably would have been recruited by Division II or Division III (schools) out of high school.
Snopes also spoke to Rubley about his recollection of Reeves' alleged invitation to try out for the team. He told us, "You would have to ask the Ravens about that, but I will say [Reeves] worked very hard and was able to make many throws with the correct footwork and timing needed to play at a high level. He was a true pro and got better every day and was great to work with."
We reached out to the Baltimore Ravens in search of confirmation about the team's alleged invitation to Reeves, and will update this story if we receive a response. We also reached out to Reeves and his representatives and will update this story if we hear back.
The Baltimore Ravens, at the time led by head coach Brian Billick, went on to win Super Bowl XXXV less than six months after "The Replacements" hit theaters. Several sources have speculated that Billick might have expressed interest in Reeves. However, no public records, statements, or verifiable accounts confirm that the Ravens extended an official invitation for Reeves to attend a tryout. We reached out to Billick for comment regarding his alleged interest in Reeves trying out for the team, and will update this story if we get a response.
The notion of Reeves trying out for an NFL team blends well with his reputation for intense preparation when it comes to his film roles. His portrayal of Shane Falco as a comeback-story quarterback also makes the rumor feel plausible.
In sum, while Reeves trained rigorously to embody his quarterback character in "The Replacements" and impressed coaches with his skills, there is no solid evidence at this time to support the claim that the Baltimore Ravens invited him for a tryout. The story appears to be based on speculation, anecdotes, and Reeves' demonstrated athletic ability during filming rather than hard evidence. Therefore, we rate the truth of this claim as research in progress.
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