The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions took place last weekend in Canton, Ohio and Deion Sanders drew our attention. It wasn’t his act of throwing a bandanna on his bust that stood out, but rather the way he represented a sponsor during his speech.
Deion wore the logo of his sponsor on a pin placed on the right jacket lapel. He also thanked his sponsor during his speech. He wasn’t the only player who did that; Marshall Faulk had a sponsor’s logo on the left jacket lapel.
We were extremely irked that Deion essentially sold commercial time during his speech and wrote about it. On Tuesday, I called the Pro Football Hall of Fame to see if they had any plans to address the issue.
Vice President of Marketing Dave Motts told LBS the Hall of Fame does not have plans to address players representing sponsors during their speech. Motts said “It is not a policy and based on what Deion Sanders did, we understand why he did it.”
Motts said he was unaware that Marshall Faulk also represented a sponsor during his speech.
LBS is optimistic that the Pro Football Hall of Fame will consider a policy that prevents players from representing sponsors during their induction ceremony. There’s no need for endorsement deals at a time when players are being celebrated for achieving the highest individual honor in football.
Pictures via Instant Replay
