Jeff Roberson/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NFL got blindsided Tuesday for its handling of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson scandals, by one of its biggest sponsors - beermaker Anheuser-Busch.
In a scathing statement, the league's official sudsmaker said it was 'disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season.'
'We are not yet satisfied with the league's handling of behaviors that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code,' the company said. 'We have shared our concerns and expectations with the league.'
It was the first time Anheuser-Busch, the beverage maker behind popular American beer brands like Budweiser and Busch as well as imports like Stella Artois and Hoegaarden, weighed in on the scandals that have been ruining the NFL's reputation.
AP
Like PepsiCo, another major NFL sponsor, Anheuser-Busch stopped short of pulling its support from the beleaguered league.
But its message is loud and clear - and one that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will take seriously.
In 2011, Bud Light officially replaced the MillerCoors company's Coors Light as the NFL's beer sponsor when Anheuser-Busch signed a $1.2 billion deal with the league.
The beer giant commented on the improprieties after the Radisson hotel chain announced it was suspending its sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings because of Peterson's indictment for child abuse in Texas.
Also, the Nike company pulled all its Peterson gear from the shelves of sporting goods stores in the Twin Cities.
Peterson is facing a felony child abuse charge for spanking his 4-year-old son with a 'switch' and is accused of smacking around his other 4-year-old boy.
SEAN GARDNER/REUTERS
The Vikings yanked Peterson from the starting lineup Sunday after the accusations against their star running back first broke, but the team will allow him to continue playing.
Goodell is in even more hot water, for suspending Rice for just two games after the former Baltimore Ravens running back admitted decking his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City elevator.
It wasn't until video emerged that showed Rice actually knocking the woman out that Goodell suspended the player and the Ravens cut him.
Various women's organizations have called for Goodell to step down.
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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