Anheuser-Busch disappointed, concerned, dissatisfied with NFL

Acebb · Sep 16, 2014

Maybe the Commissioner won't survive this:

“We are disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season. We are not yet satisfied with the league’s handling of behaviors that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code. We have shared our concerns and expectations with the league,” the statement said.

According to Ad Week, A-B is halfway through its six-year, $1.2 billion deal with the NFL.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...usch-sponsor-domestic-abuse-sponsor/15726217/

FairWarning · Sep 16, 2014

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogergr...-peterson-reinstatement-more-fallout-to-come/

[h=1]Radisson Suspends Sponsorship Of Minnesota Vikings Over Adrian Peterson Reinstatement: More Fallout To Come[/h] Comment Now Follow Comments

When the Radisson hotel chain found out that the Minnesota Vikings decided to reinstate star running back Adrian Peterson after being indicted under a felony charge of beating his four year old son, it suspended its sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings. That put all other Viking sponsors on the clock to decide to join them or fight yet another public relations nightmare in which they are only playing defense, unable to score, unable to win. The move also put the NFL on the clock. And it certainly put the Vikings on the clock. The clock is ticking to reverse yet another bad judgment call in the NFL.
The bad judgment comes from not knowing when to allow the legal process to “run its course” and when instead to run your own course of punishment. When there is indisputable evidence that the player committed the act, be it from a video as in Ray Rice or a picture of welts on the legs and scrotum of Peterson’s son, coupled with the players’ admissions, there is no need to wait for a due process determination through the court system. When conversely, there are disputed facts, a he-said, she-said scenario, hearsay evidence, and a case built entirely on circumstantial evidence, then let the due process protections safeguard the player.
When the Vikings reinstated Peterson on Monday, didn’t they see that there is enough time between now and Sunday for the drama to build? Did they not see that in these days leading up to the game in which Peterson is now cleared to play, traditional media and social media have the ability to rally millions of fans and potentially whip them into a frenzy that may equal but at least distract the Vikings’ game? The failure of imagination to anticipate that occurrence is a PR game the Vikings just cannot win.
The Radisson suspension may be just the first quarter of a long withdrawal of sponsors that goes beyond just the Vikings. Pepsi has a $100 million dollar deal with the NFL. I suspect its board of directors is huddled up right now contemplating whether to throw a flag at the League. If the NFL does not decide to suspend Peterson very soon, sponsors will be forced to make a judgment call or risk losing their own precious goodwill with customers that took years or decades to build.
The sad story is no matter what the Vikings or the NFL does now, the bad judgments already have left a bad taste in the mouths of too many to be cured by a simple reversal. Most will conclude the reversal was only because of public sentiment, not heart felt value judgments of their own. It is not much different from a guy who says “Yes, I’ll go shopping with you instead of watching the Super Bowl” and pouts the entire time. He wins few points for going when it was so obvious he did not really want to go. Even if the Vikings now re-suspend Peterson, the public knows they went that route begrudgingly. Neither the guy nor the Vikings will likely “score” when back at home.

Roger Groves is a Professor of Law and Director of the Business Law Program at Florida Coastal School of Law. Follow Roger on Twitter @rgroveslaw.

LoCalDallasGuy · Sep 16, 2014

All the NFL need now is time... They just need another "Monica Lewinsky" story to take the public mob off their nuts.

gmrcharity · Sep 16, 2014

Steve Young said it perfect last night. You will get the NFL to wake up when the advertising dollars begin to disappear. It looks like its about ready to happen.

Mr.NBA · Sep 16, 2014

A Beer company talking about morals......who's next R.J. Reynolds? GTFO

MotorMouth · Sep 16, 2014

Mr. NBA said:
A Beer company talking about morals......who's next R.J. Reynolds? GTFO

I didnt realize that it was immoral to drink beer but then I checked out the bible and saw that it was.

Shub · Sep 16, 2014

Mr. NBA said:
A Beer company talking about morals......who's next R.J. Reynolds? GTFO

+1. preach.

EzMoney012 · Sep 16, 2014

Mr. NBA said:
A Beer company talking about morals......who's next R.J. Reynolds? GTFO

MikeB · Sep 16, 2014

LoCalDallasGuy said:
All the NFL need now is time... They just need another "Monica Lewinsky" story to take the public mob off their nuts.

They are the only people in America rooting for ISIS right now

loomis41973 · Sep 16, 2014

Just a ploy by the beer company to get more spots for the same price or a reduced fee.

Talk is cheap. If they were all that outraged they would have pulled sponsorship.

hno:

doubledeuce22 · Sep 16, 2014

Mr. NBA said:
A Beer company talking about morals......who's next R.J. Reynolds? GTFO

Dumb. Really dumb.

EveryGamblersDream · Sep 17, 2014

MotorMouth said:
I didnt realize that it was immoral to drink beer but then I checked out the bible and saw that it was.

Well played with the image as it got me to laugh big time.

Acebb · Sep 17, 2014

I'm not so sure AB has any leverage here. If they pulled out of this deal, the NFL would sell the space to Miller or Coors at a 20% premium.

AB can't really afford to lose this partnership.

The other challenge is that the NFL can't really pretend to be something they are not.

Anheuser-Busch disappointed, concerned, dissatisfied with NFL

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