There are those in the Green Bay Packers organization who will do anything for a buck. That includes commercializing the bicycle-riding tradition at training camp and pretending to honor military personnel while accepting tax dollars to do so.
Well, the Packers or any NFL team no longer has the option to accept that money.
Following the release of a report from Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake on department of defense spending amongst professional sports teams, NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell said NFL teams will no longer accept DOD money. He also said the league would repay the money that its teams received as a result of those deals.
https://twitter.com/novy_williams/status/661962589350567936
So how do the Packers fit into this?
These were the numbers released today.
https://twitter.com/BartHubbuch/status/661974722045956099
McCain and Flake started conducting their investigation last spring and, when they released the report today, they admitted that some of the DOD spend is unaccounted for. The numbers above probably aren’t totally accurate.
When this issue came to light this past summer, the Packers’ tab was reported to be $600,000. That put them fourth on the list beneficiaries.
We thought it was bullshit then and we think it’s bullshit now. And before you go off on some holier-than-thou tangent, this isn’t about making money from sponsorships. It’s about pretending you’re honoring servicemen and women because it’s the right thing to do, when you, in fact, are only doing it because you’re being paid to do it.
In other words, duping your fans.
Frankly, the Packers and any other team that took money for these types of promotions should be ashamed. They should apologize, but did they?
You already know the answer. The Packers organization will not be held accountable for anything.
Their reaction when they were called out was to, 1. not renew their contract with the National Guard and, 2. issue some ham-fisted statement from PR hack Aaron Popkey about, “Hey, we do all of this other stuff for the military,” which totally missed the point.
Personally, we’d like to see whatever shitbird approved this marketing campaign to pay the $200,000 (or $600,000) back out of his or her own pocket. And then we’d like to see Packers president Mark Murphy contribute a matching amount to Wounded Warriors, again, out of his own pocket.
That would be satisfactory.
Because let’s be honest here. If the commissioner has to step in and make a statement that an individual or organization in the league did something wrong, then it’s pretty obvious that individual or organization should have known better to begin with.
The Packers sure could use a real TE like Colt Lyerla.
The patriotism at all of these games is completely obnoxious. I could do with a lot less of it.
I’m surprised you didn’t blame it on Rodgers, cause everything is his fault apparently.
Is this where they got their money to “grant” to high school football field projects?
I give no fuck this happened.
If the Military and the troops get some National appreciation on tv, it’s well deserved and can’t happen enough imo. If somebody doesn’t like it, they can go eat a dick. I mean, who gives a shit.
It’s funny how someone has a moral problem with this, but has no problem calling a Packer players woman a whore on the internet.
#gofigure
Stuff like this has nothing to do with “tribute.” Do you think branches of the and forces allocate money for feel good theatrics? It’s enlistment propaganda horseshit, just like it always is. And go figure, ol’ Rodger in there wielding the hammer of justice long, long after the problem has already happened, well within the boundaries of his knowledge I’m sure.
Agreed on the wounded warrior project.
Hopefully this is the last we hear of this. I continue to fail to care. The paid tributes make sense for the DoD, helps recruitment. If the DoD doesn’t pay for the events, then they have no control over them.
So, you are telling me that all those a-holes that came to my wedding were given free food and booze? Wow, and all this time I thought they were coming to honor or pay respects to me. Man, I feel so deceived.