Nine Line Apparel’s advert appeared to be a direct response to Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign. The advert shows soldiers, the American flag and military graves during its 45 seconds of video. Kaepernick started a wave of controversy and political protests after kneeling during the national anthem in protest of the treatment of ethnic minorities.
CEO of the Nine Line Apparel Tyler Merritt told the Washington Examiner: “CBS’s purported reason for rejecting a Super Bowl commercial that extols patriotism is totally out of bounds.
“Let’s call this what it is: a blatant attempt to censor a message that their politically correct executives find offensive.
“We urge Americans who believe it’s important to show respect for our flag and national anthem to join us in calling out this offensive bias. It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS.”
The brand also insisted that CBS decided that it was unsure if the firm could pay for the 45-second spot.
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The estimated cost of a 30-second commercial approximately costing almost £3.8million according to Business Insider.
The Nine-Line Apparel clothing firm is focused on being able to “bridge the gap between civilians and service members”.
Nike’s own advert, which included Kaepernick, debuted at the beginning of the 2018 NFL season to great fanfare but also controversy.
The minute-long commercial shows Kaepernick at the end saying, “So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.”
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US President Donald Trump responded to the Nike campaign and criticised it for sending a “terrible message”.
Trump said: “I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.”
Trump himself has openly criticised other NFL player for kneeling during the national anthem
Kaepernick became a social activist following a series of events that led to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Last year, Trump failed to continue the recent trend of the President giving an interview to networks before the game but this year the sat down to address multiple issues including black, Hispanic and Asian employment levels.