The suspended sponsorship comes as the NFL continues
to deal with criticism over how it handled the Ray Rice
domestic-violence matter. But so far no sponsors have dropped their
league-wide sponsorships over that issue, and most brands have
either declined comment or issued tepid statements. Still, pressure
has started to mount for some brands, including Procter &
Gamble's CoverGirl, which is the league's "official beauty sponsor"
and has marketed team-inspired makeup. A photoshopped image being
circulated on social media shows a woman wearing Baltimore
Ravens-colored makeup, but also a black eye.
In a
statement issued Monday night, a P&G spokeswoman said: "As a
brand that has always supported women and stood for female
empowerment, CoverGirl believes domestic violence is completely
unacceptable. We developed our NFL program to celebrate the more
than 80 million female football fans. In light of recent events, we
have encouraged the NFL to take swift action on their path forward
to address the issue of domestic violence."
The
Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Radisson's team sponsorship
includes a banner that is placed behind speakers at Vikings press
conferences. The Vikings deactivated Mr. Peterson for Sunday's game
after news broke on Friday that he was indicted on charges that he
injured his son with a tree branch, known as a switch. But the team
on Monday cleared the running back for this Sunday's
game.
"To be
clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare
of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of
due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we
can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the
appropriate course of action," the Vikings stated.
On Monday
evening,
KHOU-TV in Houston reported on a separate incident allegedly
involving Mr. Peterson and another one of his sons. The station's
report describes "a photo, allegedly texted by Peterson to the
boy's mother, shows a head wound to the boy covered by two
bandages," but states that charges were never filed.
The station later updated its story with the following
quote from Mr. Peterson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin. "The allegation of
another investigation into Adrian Peterson is simply not true. This
is not a new allegation, it's one that is unsubstantiated and was
shopped around to authorities in two states over a year ago and
nothing came of it. An adult witness adamantly insists Adrian did
nothing inappropriate with his son. There is no ongoing or new
investigation."