Last year, it came to light many NFL teams — the Green Bay Packers among them — were taking money from the Department of Defense to stage ceremonies where they “honored the troops” during games.
We were all sitting around thinking the Packers were doing something good, but instead they were just pocketing checks. The Packers had reportedly taken in either $200,000 or $600,000, depending on whose numbers you believed.
And boy, did the idiots in the PR department get testy when they were questioned about it.
The standard became, “But we have all KINDS of programs for the military!”
Right, but you took money from them too. OUR money.
Taxpayer money.
Oh, and also, you played everyone for a bunch or morons by not making it clear that these “ceremonies” were actually a bunch of recruiting advertisements.
But hey, you’re the Packers. You can’t do anything wrong and by god, even if you do, DON’T EVER FUCKING ADMIT IT!”
Well, there’s good news here.
After a Senate report detailed just how much NFL teams received from the DOD, the league came out and said they were going to do an audit and give that money back.
The audit is done and some money is being returned.
It’s not clear how much of the Packers’ share is being returned, but the total going back to DOD is $723,734. That seems like a really small amount, considering NFL teams took in $6.1 million from their military advertising contracts.
The audit was performed by the independent firm of Deloitte & Touche and they were supposedly instructed to err on the side of paid patriotism if there was a question. So, we’ll buy the figure as somewhat accurate, at least for the sample they were given.
They reviewed 100 agreements from 2012 to 2015. Were there just 100 agreements during that time? Were there other agreements before 2012?
It seems likely that those answers are no and yes, respectively.
The important thing here is that this bullshit is over with. The NFL has said they won’t allow it anymore. And, we guess they did something — probably not a full accounting — but something to put that money back where it belongs.
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Correct me if I am wrong, does it not somewhere in the Green Bay Packers by-laws concerning the team (Packers) as a whole, if they are sold to a different city etc, all of the proceeds would ONLY be able to go to Green Bay’s local VFW legion post?
Boy, what a great piece that would have been to add with a story concerning the Packers and the Military. You are just full of insight, Mordecai
Packers brought Patriotism to the League, literally formed a foundation on it.
We have a mercenary army and the graft that was given to the NFL is an accounting rounding error compared to the billions spent on other stuff. While I don’t like the Packers taking tax payers money it’s not like everybody else isn’t doing it too. Look at the Blackwater clowns getting paid 4 times as much as an active duty soldier.
Amen . . .
Patriotism could be dangerous and could be great….depending on who you talk to.