Drake Maye questions the moon landing, but NASA has a message ready for the Patriots quarterback’s conspiracy theory

Drake Maye has plenty on his plate as the New England Patriots’ quarterback, but his latest off-field comment has taken him into a very different debate. During a Monday appearance on WEEI, Maye said he remains skeptical that humans landed on the moon. He did not claim to know the landing was fake, but said he was not “200%” sure it happened and described himself as “a little bit skeptical.” That was enough to draw a response from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who replied to a post about Maye’s comments with a short message: “I quite literally have the receipts.”Drake Maye explains why he doubts the moon landingMaye’s comments were less a firm conspiracy claim than an admission that he has not fully bought into the official account. The Patriots quarterback said he could understand why someone might have staged the landing, then stopped short of taking a clear position.“I don’t know about the moon, you know,” he said. “I think I can see back in the day why we would put on the mask if we went there, but I’m not really sure 200% if we went there or not. I wouldn’t say I’m leaning one way or the other. I just know I’m a little bit skeptical.”Maye did not present evidence that the Apollo missions were fabricated. He was talking about doubt, not offering a case against NASA.He also explained where some of his curiosity about conspiracy theories came from. While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Maye said he took a course that examined conspiracy theories.“They studied [Adolf] Hitler being alive and, ‘Are birds real?’ — some of the classic ones that you hear about,” he explained.His remarks quickly moved beyond a casual radio discussion once NASA entered the conversation.NASA administrator Jared Isaacman has a simple answerNASA did not release a long rebuttal. Isaacman, the agency’s administrator, responded directly to a Boston 25 News post about Maye’s comments.“I quite literally have the receipts,” Isaacman wrote.The reply is brief, but the point is clear. NASA has a large historical record tied to the Apollo program, including mission data, photographs, recordings and physical evidence connected to the lunar missions. Isaacman chose to make that evidence the answer rather than engage Maye in a back-and-forth.The timing also gives the story an unusual NFL angle. Maye is coming off a win over Buffalo, but New England has been uneven this season and entered the week at 2-2. The Patriots are scheduled to face the 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.For Maye, the moon debate is hardly the issue that will define his season. But it has produced an exchange that is difficult to ignore: an NFL quarterback openly admitting doubt, followed by the head of NASA essentially saying the evidence is sitting there waiting to be seen.Maye’s next task is football. The moon landing debate can stay somewhere far outside the Patriots’ playbook.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.