NFL to confront domestic violence with Super Bowl ad
The National Football League (NFL) is to run a domestic abuse advert during this year's Super Bowl as it seeks to put a year to forget behind it following a depressing spell in the limelight for all the wrong reasons; in which two of its star players, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, were suspended for domestic violence.
The sport’s governing body is so concerned by the negative press such cases are generating, not to mention its own initial response, that it is to air the video on Sunday, a time when violence in the home traditionally peaks.
This advert depicts a home in the aftermath of an attack with belongings scattered across the floor, in the background a frightened woman is heard calling emergency services but is too afraid to say what has happened, ordering a pizza instead until the operator can read between the lines.
It closes with the words ‘When it’s hard to talk, it’s up to us to listen.’
Part of its 'No More' campaign the league has said it has set aside $50m of advertising slots over the course of the season to convey the message, the first ever Super Bowl commercial to tackle domestic violence and sexual assault.