Procter & Gamble has notified the NFL that it will no longer be going forward with its league-wide initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness month, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Procter & Gamble had worked with the NFL on behalf of Crest toothpaste and had named multiple players on each of the NFL’s 32 teams as “ambassadors” of the campaign. Players had agreed to wear pink mouthguards and engage with fans on social media as part of the initiative, but Procter & Gamble reportedly decided to pull the plug in the wake of the domestic violence issues that are piling up across the league.
Any money that Procter & Gamble had pledged to donate to cancer organizations will still be distributed, but the campaign will no longer be taking place.
We could be witnessing the worst image problem the NFL has ever had. Companies like Radisson have already suspended their sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while other juggernauts like Anheuser-Busch have publicly expressed their concern over issues involving players like Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice and Jonathan Dywer.
The NFL’s pink gear movement has become incredibly popular over the past several years. The fact that a major company has decided to dissociate itself from a cause like Breast Cancer Awareness Month because it is so concerned with the NFL’s current image should tell you all you need to know.
