NFL Abuse Scandal Fallout Continues: Official Beer Sponsor Anheuser-Busch Is "Disappointed and Concerned"

Campbell Soup also issued a statement, and Radisson Hotels has suspended its sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings; Nike dropped Ray Rice last week

By Natalie Finn Sep 16, 2014 9:42 PMTags
Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser, Bud Light, NFLAnheuser-Busch

Aside from enough fans actually boycotting games to make a difference, could anything sound scarier to the National Football League than losing the support of the official beer sponsor of the NFL?

Pressed to weigh in following the outcry over the NFL's handling of punishments for players accused (and convicted) of domestic abuse, Anheuser-Busch—which buys up the most Super Bowl commercial space every year—released its own statement today urging the league to get to the bottom of how everything got so messed up in the first place and change its ways.

"We are disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season," said the St. Louis-based brewing behemoth. "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."

Anheuser-Busch

Could you imagine watching a Super Bowl without Clydesdales?

Also speaking out was the Campbell Soup Company, which said in a statement Tuesday, "Domestic violence is abhorrent. We are watching developments closely and look forward to the findings of the independent investigation underway. Upon completion of the investigation, we expect the NFL to take appropriate action. We have shared our views with the NFL."

"Domestic violence and abuse are unacceptable behaviors and have no place in sports, or anywhere," McDonalds has also stated. "Like many, we have questions surrounding these evolving situations and are closely monitoring as the appropriate parties investigate these matters. "As a family brand, we've communicated our concerns to the league , and we expect it to take strong and necessary actions to address these issues."

These major sponsors are a few days behind Pepsi Co., which issued a statement last Thursday to USA Today in response to the NFL's scrambling after the Ray Rice debacle, saying, "Domestic violence is completely unacceptable. We are encouraged to see the NFL is now treating this with the seriousness it deserves."

Of course, expressing concern is a far cry from suspending sponsorship, as Radisson Hotels did with the Minnesota Vikings following Adrian Peterson's indictment on a charge of injuring a child. The running back was deactivated for last Sunday's game, but, after turning himself in to be booked and admitting to using a "switch" to spank his son, he has since been reactivated by the team and is expected to play this weekend.

"Radisson takes this matter very seriously particularly in light of our long-standing commitment to the protection of children," Radisson parent Carlson said in a statement Monday. "We are closely following the situation and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances."

Harry Engels/Getty Images

The Twin Cities' Niketown also confirmed to E! News today that it has pulled its stock of Peterson jerseys from the floor.

Nike immediately terminated its deal with former Baltimore Ravens running back Rice on Sept. 8, as did Madden NFL 15 publisher EA Sports, the same day the video of Rice hitting his now-wife Janay Palmer-Rice in the face surfaced online.

CoverGirl, billed as the "official beauty sponsor of the NFL," found itself sucked into the Rice fallout this past weekend after one of its "#GetYourGameFaceOn" ads, featuring a model made up in Ravens colors, was Photoshopped to include a black eye and subsequently went viral.

"As a brand that has always supported women and stood for female empowerment, COVERGIRL believes domestic violence is completely unacceptable," the cosmetics company said in a statement. "We developed our NFL program to celebrate the more than 80 million female football fans. In light of recent events, we have encouraged the NFL to take swift action on their path forward to address the issue of domestic violence."

UPDATE: The NFL responded to the influx of sponsorship concerns with the following: "We understand. We are taking action and there will be much more to come."

—Additional reporting by Lindsey Caldwell and Baker Machado