NFL To Air Domestic Violence PSA During Super Bowl
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The National Football League is donating air time on Super Sunday to tackle domestic violence.
NFL chief marketing officer Dawn Hudson says the league is "trying to do the right thing" by financing a PSA for the NO MORE project, which works to raise awareness against domestic violence and sexual assault. NO MORE said on its YouTube page that the spot will be the first ever to address the topics during the big game.
A minute-long version of the PSA features audio of a woman calling 911 and telling the operator in code -- by saying she needs a pizza delivery -- that something is wrong. Images pan across the screen showing the effects of a domestic violence incident in the home.
"When it's hard to talk," the PSA says, "it's up to us to listen."
NO MORE said a 30-second cut will be broadcast during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIX.
The NFL has come under fire for its response to domestic violence issues, most notably the Ray Rice case. The former Baltimore Ravens running back was suspended two games after being arrested at an Atlantic City casino in Feb. 2014. Seven months later, he was banned indefinitely and cut from the Ravens after additional surveillance video showed Rice knocking his now-wife unconscious inside an elevator at the casino. The second suspension was overturned on appeal.
A report into the NFL's handling of the original investigation acknowledged the probe was insufficient, though it supported Commissioner Roger Goodell's assertions that the league never had the elevator footage in its possession prior to its publication by TMZ Sports in September.
The NFL donated production legwork and air time for the PSA, according to the Journal. A 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl is reportedly valued near $4.5 million.
"If my motivation was to help the brand, then I would have slapped the NFL logo on it," Hudson told the Wall Street Journal.
NO MORE ran a series of ads during the regular season featuring NFL players, including New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
