The NFL Says 'No More,' But Can It Take Its Own Advice? - Sparrow Law Firm

We realize we are a little slow to get to the water cooler with our post-Super Bowl rundown. The game aired Feb. 1 and managed to keep viewers’ interest to the last. But chat about the game is not the only thing that offices buzz about the day after: The ads are sometimes just as important.

Companies spend millions of dollars to buy time during the Super Bowl broadcast, and over the years the ads have become more — elaborate is not quite the right word, but the production values have certainly improved, and the ads themselves have grown more complex. You have to pay attention to them to get the full impact, to well up completely when the Clydesdales come to the aid of the puppy.

The first quarter, though, featured an unusual ad. The recording of a 911 call reporting domestic violence was created by No More and sponsored by the NFL. (See the ad here.) The ad was heralded as the “first-ever Super Bowl commercial addressing domestic violence and sexual assault.”

To tell the truth, it seems as if No More and the NFL did most of the heralding. Others pointed out the irony of the NFL taking a strong stand against domestic abuse after a year of high-profile bungles. One of them was actually resolved just a week after the game when prosecutors in Mecklenburg County dropped charges against former Carolina Panther Greg Hardy.

Hardy had been convicted of misdemeanor assault on a female and communicating threats last July and won a second trial on appeal. Prosecutors could not locate his girlfriend (and accuser) and, so, had to drop the charges. His future with the NFL is uncertain, but he is free of the criminal charges.

Back to the ad, though. In our next post.

Source: Charlotte Observer, “Where was Nicole Holder? Snowmobiling in Colorado, then off to New York City,” Jonathan Jones, Feb. 9, 2015