The NFL will be returning over $700,000 given to the league by military organizations for tributes during games over the past few seasons.
For the past few years, more and more NFL games have seen some form of a military tribute in between action or before kickoff. From honoring fans who have served to veterans returning home and reuniting with their families, they are moments that make fans in the stadium and watching at home stand up and cheer.
Now, the NFL is saying they will return some of the money they had been paid for these events after criticism over what some, including members of Congress, have called “paid patriotism.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will give back over $700,000 to various organizations after an audit of the league’s finances for the past few seasons, according to ESPN.com:
"In a letter written to Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain on Wednesday, and disclosed on Thursday, Goodell said that — following an audited review of 100 marketing agreements from 2012 to 2015 by accounting firm Deloitte & Touche — teams were deemed to have received $723,734 for acts of sponsored patriotism.That money, Goodell promised, would be returned to the government. Goodell also wrote that marketing activities would be audited more frequently to catch such activities in the future."
Last year, both senators disclosed that 14 NFL teams had received over $5 million over a four year period from 2011 to 2014 from agencies such as the Department of Defense and the US Army for events including veteran family reunions and on field flag ceremonies. $1 million was given to the Atlanta Falcons.
The donations coming under fire are not just limited to the NFL. The National Guard, which had spent over $6.7 million on deals with the NFL over the past three seasons, recently also stopped its sponsorship of a NASCAR vehicle driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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