Sponsors Leave NFL Over Anthem Protests, Others Feeling Pressure

Flemington Car and Truck Country joined Phil Long Ford in Denver by taking action in response to the ongoing national anthem protests.

“The National Football League and its owners have shown their fans and marketing partners that they do not have a comprehensive policy to ensure that players stand and show respect for America and our flag during the playing of the national anthem,” owner Steve Kalafer said in a statement. “We have canceled all of our NFL advertising on the Optimum and Infinity (cable) networks.”

Steve pulled the ads for his New Jersey mega car dealership from the NFL after it became apparent the league wasn’t going to do anything to stop the disrespectful athlete’s who kneel or sit down during the national anthem.

“As the NFL parses the important nationwide issues of ‘social justice’ and ‘freedom of speech,’ it is clear that a firm direction by them is not forthcoming,” Kalafer said in the statement.

He also said that he would consider whether or not to advertise during NFL games in 2018 at a later date.

Just last week the owner of Phil Long Ford pulled all of its ads that featured NFL player Von Miller after he took a knee during the anthem. While Mr. Long said he was just “changing ads,” his official statement makes the reason all too clear – Von Miller no longer represents their values:

We are evaluating the events of the weekend. It is important to state that we haven’t fired Von. We are in the middle of contract renewal and this weekend’s events remind us that sometimes we feel that we best represent ourselves. We support Von and his first amendment rights, we know Von, and he’s a good person. He donated a police car to his hometown police dept. All that notwithstanding when we bring in celebrities to represent us we run the risk of being misrepresented.

We, like millions of Americans, are concerned and will respond consistently with our values as a proud American company founded by a war hero (Phil Long). While we can’t control the actions of others, we can be responsible for how we support our nation and community. That is why, years ago, our principal owner, Jay Cimino, founded the Mount Carmel Veteran’s Service center, and is supported by all Phil Long Dealerships. We support this cause not just with our words, but financially as well, and it is serving hundreds of veterans in need right here in Colorado. This would be a great time for our community to show support for our military community by supporting this cause or others that continue to serve them after they serve us.

https://veteranscenter.org/

Members of the military-servicing insurance company USAA have begun to organize an effort to force the company to pull its support of the NFL until the league takes a stand against the protests.

Olga Rivas, a U.S. Navy continuous process improvement director in the San Diego area, wrote in one thread on USAA’s website that “silence will not be tolerated” and that the NFL lacks clarity, judgement and respect for the national anthem — and thereby members of the military.

So far, USAA has refused to take a stand against the anti-American message the anthem protests represent.

The NFL provides a great platform through which we can raise awareness about and appreciation for America’s military and their families,” one USAA employee said in response to a call to boycott the NFL. “We are proud to work with great players like Army veteran and Pittsburgh Steeler Alejandro Villanueva and teams across the league. We seek to create unique opportunities to recognize and thank America’s active-duty military members, veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. We sincerely hope this will not be a deciding factor in your continued relationship with USAA.

USAA weighed into a controversy earlier this year when it dropped sponsorship of Sean Hannity’s Fox News Show in response to pressure from liberal hate groups. The insurer was forced to re-sponsor “Hannity” after a massive number of veterans and their families threatened to drop their USAA insurance plans.