NFL rejects veterans group’s ad for Super Bowl program

Super-Bowl-football

An official ball for the NFL Super Bowl LII football game from the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. in Ada, Ohio, is displayed Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. The New England Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 4, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Rick Osentoski/AP)

MINNEAPOLIS — The NFL has denied advertising space in the Super Bowl program for a veterans group that declined to alter language about standing for the national anthem.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed Tuesday that American Veterans, or AMVETS , submitted an advertisement last week to the third-party publisher of the game program with the message, "Please Stand."

McCarthy said the league, which has editorial control over the content, asked AMVETS to consider other options for the message, such as "Please Honor our Veterans" or "Please Stand for our Veterans." The two organizations were unable to agree on language in time to meet production deadlines.

Commissioner Roger Goodell was sent a letter dated Monday from AMVETS national commander Marion Polk to express the organization’s dismay over what it called "corporate censorship."

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