Following a series of domestic violence and child abuse incidents among NFL players—as well as accusations that NFL leadership mishandled the punishment of former running back Ray Rice—the league has lost a major sponsor. From CBS Sports:
Procter & Gamble, on behalf of its Crest toothpaste brand, had worked with NFL approval to launch a significant, league-wide initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which it decided to cancel today. [Hand-selected] players would have worn pink mouthguards and engaged in social media on a variety of platforms as part of the deal.
Procter & Gamble said that they will still make a donation to breast cancer charities, even though they no longer want their brand associated with the league in such a high-profile manner. Commissioner Roger Goodell has faced widespread criticism after being accused of intentionally avoiding watching a security video that showed Rice brutally punching out his now-wife, and suspending him for just two games. After the video was made public by TMZ, Rice was suspended indefinitely, but questions immediately rose about why the league office hadn’t seen the video earlier. Since then, several other players have faced discipline for domestic violence allegations …