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 In a brief but strongly worded statement, Anheuser-Busch, the
maker of Budweiser and NFL official beer Bud Light, said it was
"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,"
the statement said.
The company, owned by Belgian-Brazilian group Anheuser-Busch InBev,
said it had shared its concerns and expectations with the 32-team
league, a TV ratings juggernaut that brings in $9 billion in annual
revenue.
"We understand," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said of the
Anheuser-Busch remarks. "We are taking action and there will be much
more to come."
Another NFL sponsor and mainstay of American culture, McDonald's
Corp, said it also communicated its concerns to the league and
expects the NFL "to take strong and necessary actions to address
these issues."
Visa Inc, Campbell's Soup Co and Procter & Gamble's cosmetic's unit
Covergirl also issued similar statements this week.
The rebuke from Corporate America could raise pressure on NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell, already struggling to make amends after
his initial light punishment of former Baltimore Ravens star Ray
Rice for punching his then-girlfriend, now his wife, in February.
Rice, 27, was later placed on indefinite suspension while the NFL
investigated the incident. On Tuesday, the NFL Players Association
appealed against that decision and asked that a neutral arbitrator
hear the case.
The NFL and team owners are also dealing with at least three other
domestic abuse cases and a wide swath of Americans are closely
watching how they react to mounting public pressure to take forceful
measures with players who engage in domestic violence.
PETERSON CASE CRITICIZED
When a security video emerged last week of Rice knocking his wife
out cold, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely and said he had not
seen that video when he handed down his original two-game ban in
July. He had, however, seen a previous video showing Rice dragging
an unconscious Janay Rice out of the elevator.
Goodell apologized for his initial punishment and has since
increased the mandatory ban to six games for domestic violence.
After the second video emerged and reports that the NFL had seen it,
the league ordered an independent investigation into the handling of
the Rice case.
Compounding the NFL's problems last week was the indictment of
Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back - one of the
league's most marketable stars - who has been charged with child
abuse in Texas for beating his son with a tree branch.
Peterson was reactivated by the Vikings on Monday after sitting out
Sunday's game.
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On Tuesday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton entered the fray by
saying the Vikings should sideline Peterson until his case works its
way through court.
The Radisson hotel chain said it was suspending a sponsorship deal
with the Vikings as it monitors the case.
Two other players involved in domestic violence cases are also under
the league's microscope, Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Ray
McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers.
ADVERTISERS MAY HOLD KEY
After the alarming video of Rice's punch surfaced last week, NFL
experts said that advertisers could play a pivotal role in whether
Goodell survives the worst crisis of his eight-year tenure.
Verizon Communications Chief Executive Lowell McAdam, while
acknowledging the Rice episode had been disturbing, gave his backing
to Goodell, calling him "a man of high integrity."
But as the controversy moved into the homes of millions of
Americans, troubled by what they had seen on the video,
Anheuser-Busch's move suggests a changing sentiment among the game's
stalwart corporate backers.
"I'm not surprised by it. I think there is such attention of what's
going on with the NFL off the field," said Brad Adgate, senior vice
president, director of research at Horizon Media, an advertising
services agency.
The swirling domestic violence scandal has also called into question
the NFL's relationship with women, a demographic it has actively
wooed. Women now account for 45 percent of the league's audience.
One sponsor geared toward women fans, Covergirl, said on its
Facebook page Monday that "we have encouraged the NFL to take swift
action on their path forward to address the issue of domestic
violence."
(Additional reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York and Eric Kelsey
in Los Angeles; Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Howard Goller,
Bernard Orr and Paul Tait)
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