More than 78,000 people have signed a petition that rebukes the National Football League for its rejection of an advertisement in the Super Bowl program, the Washington Examiner reported Monday.
The NFL had rejected an ad from the veterans group AMVETS that urged fans to "Please Stand" during the national anthem at the Super Bowl, USA Today reported.
The petition, sponsored by the American Family Association, said that the NFL engaged in "blatant hypocrisy" for allowing players to kneel during the national anthem,but not to allow the AMVETS.
AMVETS said that part of its mission was to teach proper respect for the U.S. flag. The group has noted that it only asks people to stand during the anthem, and does not demand that anyone do so, the Examiner reported.
Some NFL players in 2017 began kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice, particularly police brutality against black Americans. Critics including President Donald Trump said that kneeling was unpatriotic.
Joe Chenelly, the executive director of AMVETS, said Thursday that the group did not approve of a suggestion to change the ad.
"I urge you to stop the blatant hypocrisy and accept the patriotic ad by AMVETS as originally submitted," the petition says. However, the NFL Super Bowl pamphlet already has gone to print, the Examiner reported.
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