CBS strongly denies that it rejected ‘anti-Kaepernick’ ad

CBS, the network airing this year’s Super Bowl, has denied that it rejected an “anti-Kaepernick” ad, which is kind of odd.

CBS, the network that is hosting this year’s Super Bowl, is courting some Colin Kaepernick controversy.

As usual, there are a lot of commercials that vie for the precious airtime that the Super Bowl provides, and not all commercials make the cut. One of those companies that were left off the roster was Nine Line Apparel, a Georgia-based clothing line that advertises itself as clothes made for “Patriotic Americans.”

So, you know where Nine Line stands on the Colin Kaepernick controversy.

In fact, they wanted to get their message about their patriotism out by running a spot during the Super Bowl that would have gone on the same theme as Nike’s 2018 Kaepernick ad campaign, except, of course, it would be a theme of loving the flag, rather than kneeling against it, in their eyes.

Well, that add didn’t make the cut, and Tyler Merritt told the Washington Examiner that CBS flat out rejected the ad, even go as far as saying “It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS.”

CBS, though, flat out denied that it rejected Nine Line’s ad, telling For the Win that it never “gave a penalty” (see? We can use puns, too!) to the ad. But, Nine Lines wasn’t buying it, and, really, all of this seems kind of odd.

On one hand, the ad is not really out to promote patriotism but to try to stomp their foot on Kaepernick and mock the Nike ad. On the other, it’s bizarre for CBS to deny that they denied Nine Line’s ad because all of the signs clearly indicate that they did, and rightfully so as it had a hidden meaning beyond all the flag and patriotism stuff.

So, why would they deny it?

Beats me.