Ford Motor Co., a major sponsor of the NFL, today "issued a statement in support of free speech after player protests and President Donald Trump's call for a fan boycott." The statement read: "We respect individuals' rights to express their views, even if they are not ones we share. That's part of what makes America great" (ADAGE.com, 9/25). Nike today also said that it "backs" NFLers' right to protest. The company in a statement said, "Nike supports athletes and their right to freedom of expression on issues that are of great importance to our society" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/25).
Meanwhile, a cohort of USAA members are "pressuring the San Antonio-based financial services and insurance company to drop its sponsorship" of the NFL. An online petition as of today had "more than 1,000 signatures, out of 100,000 sought" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/25).
Some of the league's other "biggest spenders" such as Visa, A-B InBev, Microsoft, McDonald’s, PepsiCo and Bridgestone have "remained silent on what was possibly the most political and polarizing Sunday in recent league history" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/25).
