With the Super Bowl this Sunday, and the National Football League postseason drawing to a close, the threat of a lockout is looming over everyone's heads. Fans can live in denial for a little bit longer, however, as CBS has banned an advertisement that would serve as a not-so-pleasant reminder of the impending negotiations.
According to Huffingtonpost.com, CBS has denied the NFL Players Association the right to show their "Let Us Play" ad, set to air on Feb. 5 on the CBS College Sports Network during the NFLPA College All-Star Game.
The commercial features players and fans explaining what life would be like for them without football, imploring the league to "let us play."
Assistant executive director for external affairs for the NFLPA, George Atallah, told adage.com that he received the news Friday about the commercial not airing. He added that when his team tried to get in contact with the network, "they said they didn't want to get involved with the labor negotiations."
The NFLPA and the league are in the midst of negotiations toward a collective bargaining agreement. Items up for debate include an 18-game season and how to properly and fairly distribute revenue. The current agreement is set to expire in March.
CBS has been known to have a close relationship to the NFL and pays the league $4 billion per season to air games.
