National Football League

Report: NFL sponsors don't want ads to run during Vikings, Ravens games

Published Sep. 24, 2014 3:58 p.m. ET

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The string of recent bad news has certainly chipped away at the NFL from a public perception standpoint, but so far it hasn’t cost the league any advertisers.

So far, Anheuser-Busch, which has a six-year, $1.2 billion deal with the NFL, is the biggest sponsor to makes waves about the scandals that have included Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy, to name a few. (Arian Foster didn’t take kindly to Anheuser-Busch “high horse” statement, either)

That said, no one has pulled out. But now a report has stated that some advertisers have requested their ads not run during Vikings or Ravens games. Here is what The Hollywood Reporter dug up:

Multiple media buyers tell THR that clients have requested their ads not appear during games featuring the Ravens or Minnesota Vikings, the team of suspended running back Adrian Peterson (due in a Texas court Oct. 8 on a child abuse charge for whipping his 4-year-old son). CBS, which kicked off its $275 million Thursday Night Football package Sept. 11 with strong ratings for a Ravens game, had one sponsor ask to be removed from the broadcast and another request its ads shift, likely away from a discussion of the violence issue during CBS Sports' pregame report. CBS declined to identify the sponsors.

Well, that could certainly change things for commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners. Individual sponsors, however, have terminated contracts with individual players. Nike booted Rice. The Radisson hotel chain also ended its relationship with the Vikings in the wake of the Peterson news.

H/T to Deadspin