A group of U.S. Senators led by John McCain (R-Arizona), Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) is taking steps to outlaw a practice that permits the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for honoring American troops at National Football League games.
While the Philadelphia Eagles have not accepted any Department of Defense contracts for half-time shows and other activities, the senators say that over the last three years, the National Guard paid NFL teams nearly $7 million for marketing and advertising, according to CNN.
When the New England Patriots ran their "True Patriot" promotion honoring Guard troops at Gillette Stadium during half-time shows, for example, they received $675,000 from the National Guard. Between 2011-2014, The New York Jets earned $377,000 from New Jersey's Army National Guard for their "Hometown Hero" salutes on stadium billboards and to cover ticket costs for veterans to attend games and other events.
The bipartisan group of senators has proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would ban the use of taxpayer funds to honor American troops at sporting events, which McCain recently called "disgraceful" and "crass" on the part of NFL owners. The amendment also encourages teams that have accepted such contracts, including the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens, to donate back to organizations that support U.S. armed forces, veterans and their families.
Records of contracts accepted by NFL teams can be found at USAspending.gov by entering relevant search criteria. Two 2014 Department of Defense contracts with the Patriots, for example, specify that the team received $225,000 in exchange for what is coded as "Housekeeping - Food" services.
An NFL spokesman said the amendment presents a "completely distorted picture" of the league's relationship with the U.S. military; a spokesman for the National Guard declined to comment on the pending legislation. Though the Senate amendment is not part of the House-passed defense authorization bill, it will likely be included when the two chambers begin negotiating the final package.
Read more at CNN.