NASCAR racing fans have all been shocked this week, as rumors about homosexual relationship between Jeff and Stephen Rhodes becomes the hottest topic on several social media platform such Facebook and Twitter.

According to rumors, the 42-year old Gordon opened up about his sexual preference and revealed his relationship with another openly-gay NASCAR driver Stephen Rhodes.

The reports obviously caught the attention of millions of netizens active on Twitter and Facebook, drawing laughter and critical comments. There are also others who questioned the validity of reports, as they believed it could be made-up news from a satirical news site.

They are Right After All...

They are right after all. After thorough research in the Internet, the rumors of the openly gay relationship between Gordon and Rhodes are not true at all. In fact, it's one of the several hoax stories on Empire Sports news that went viral again this week.

Empire Sports, who popularized mega-hit rumors about Justin Biebers' encounter with Blake Griffin at Starbucks and the trade that sent Tony Romo to the Houston Texans, aced it again, but this time it takes on a gay relationship angle.

Here's an excerpt of the story that already garnered three million views.

"As if the sports world didn't have enough people coming out of the closet. A highly respected member of the NASCAR community has come out and admitted he is in a relationship with a fellow openly gay NASCAR member. Jeff Gordon who is going through a divorce said that he is now dating openly gay driver Stephen Rhodes. Gordon joins a list of male athletes who are new to the openly gay sports world.

We are unable to get a comment from Gordon or Rhodes on this news of their relationship but it is 100% confirmed by them both. Both men have been seen around together since they came out just recently. The couple has been seen hand in hand but not much else in the public eye. This new couple has sparked a fire storm in the southern states where the rednecks tend to live."

Lies and more lies

It's hard to understand why people continue to make fabricated stories that not only taints the reputation of the persons being talked about but also makes people foolish. Yes, in a world where terrible things happen every second, stories that draw laughter relieve some bad air somehow. Still, there's no reason not to be sensitive, especially if deals with homo-sexuality or the dignity of an individual.