Nike will no longer sponsor National Football League star Adrian Peterson, who was re-suspended by the Minnesota Vikings this morning stemming from allegations of abusing his 4-year-old son.
"Nike in no way condones child abuse or domestic violence of any kind and has shared our concerns with the NFL," according to a statement from the Portland, Ore.-based shoe brand. "We have suspended our contract with Adrian Peterson."
ESPN reporter Darren Rovell first reported the development on Twitter. Peterson earlier this week was reinstated on the team and was expected to play on Sunday for the Vikings. But now he'll stay home.
Last week's child abuse scandal has become a tipping point for brands, which are fed up with the NFL's recent problems that also include the Ray Rice domestic violence developments.
Anheuser-Busch, which inked a $1.2 billion sponsorship deal with the league a few years ago, yesterday sounded off on the NFL for keeping a house marred by ugly controversies. And then Castrol, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble's Cover Girl, Campbell's Soup, Wheaties and Visa joined the chorus of advertisers criticizing the league.
"We are disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season," St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. "We are not yet satisfied with the league’s handling of behaviors that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code. We have shared our concerns and expectations with the league."
That statement followed Radisson Hotels' decision Monday night to halt its sponsorship with the Minnesota Vikings, following the team's temporary reinstatement of Peterson.
"Radisson takes this matter very seriously, particularly in light of our longstanding commitment to the protection of children," the Minnetonka, Minn.-based brand said in a statement. "We are closely following the situation, and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances."
After the Peterson episode—coupled with the aforementioned Rice domestic abuse debacle last week—the NFL has come under intense scrutiny. Earlier this week, an activist photoshopped a Cover Girl-NFL ad to depict a battered woman.
