14 NFL Teams Took $5.3 Million From National Guard to Show Support For Veterans

If you have ever wanted a reason to hate the NFL this may be it. Maybe not the whole league, but you will have reason not to like 14 of the teams. For years we have seen teams do some elaborate presentations to show respect for and to honor the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. Many will even take time to spotlight soldiers on the jumbotron while publicly thanking them for their service.

I have always thought the teams were doing so because it is the right thing to do, but as it turns out 14 of them have been getting paid a lot of money to salute our soldiers.

via Twitter

So no, they were not heartfelt salutes, but paid advertising by the military with hopes of encouraging recruitment. I suppose they hoped that if people saw soldiers getting such love and respect from NFL teams they would be more apt to enlist thinking they could get that love someday.

The Atlanta Falcons were the worst offender taking over $1 million from 2011-14 followed by the Baltimore Ravens who took $884,500 (2011-13). The other 12 teams and the amount they were paid are as follows:

• Buffalo Bills $679,000 (2011-14)
• Cincinnati Bengals $138,960 (2011-13)
• Cleveland Browns $22,500 (2011-12)
• Dallas Cowboys $62,500 (2012)
• Green Bay Packers $600,000 (2011-12, 2014)
• Indianapolis Colts $620,000 (2011-12, 2014)
• Kansas City Chiefs $250,000 (2011)
• Miami Dolphins $20,000 (2012)
• Minnesota Vikings $605,000 (2011-13)
• New York Jets $377,500 (2011-14)
• Pittsburgh Steelers $36,000 (2013-14)
• St. Louis Rams $60,000 (2014)

I'm not sure which is worse--the fact that taxpayer money was used to pay NFL teams to show respect to our fighting men and women or the fact that the teams actually took it. Kudos to the teams that did not take any, but showed our soldiers some love anyway. As for the aforementioned 14 teams....

Shame on you. Shame shame shame shame shame.

[NJ.com]

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