The NFL has been under heavy criticism for how it has handled a couple of huge scandals over the past couple of weeks. Now, one major sponsor has come forward to voice its displeasure with how the NFL has conducted itself in the fallout of recent events.
Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser and all those beer ads that are plastered on television during NFL games, released a statement putting the NFL on notice:
NFL beer sponsor, Anheuser-Busch, issues strong statement pic.twitter.com/HybXHjymDr
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) September 16, 2014
“Recent incidents” more than likely reference the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal and the Adrian Peterson child abuse cases which have dominated NFL headlines as the season has barely gotten underway.
Yesterday, Radisson had announced that it was suspending its sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings due to how the Vikings reinstated Peterson. And while Anheuser-Busch may not be formally doing anything with its sponsorship with the NFL yet, the beer corporation carries a lot of weight with the NFL. After all, the NFL has 1.2 billion reasons to listen to Anheuser-Busch.
If the NFL thought that these stories were going to go away, they may have severely miscalculated. When your $1.2 billion sponsorship partner registers its disapproval, you’d better pay attention.
