Leading up to the Super Bowl LIV, PETA submitted a Colin Kaepernick-inspired ad to be featured during the tournament, but it reportedly didn't get network approval. PETA told TMZ that the NFL pressured FOX to block the ad, likely because of its ties to the polarizing former quarterback.
Titled "Don't Stand for Injustice," the commercial features various animated animals taking a knee in protest as someone hums the Star-Spangled Banner. The animal rights organization told the outlet that it created the ad to call out speciesism, and to "challenge people to expand their concept of injustice to include humans' injustice against other species."
PETA claims it pitched the ad to FOX last month. The organization says things seemed promising after a rep from the network said they were clearing the ad and would have an answer soon. However, after multiple follow-ups, this month PETA still hasn’t gotten a definitive word, and is alleging that the NFL was pushing FOX to reject the ad.
PETA is claiming that its numerous requests to run the ad either before or after the game in local FOX markets have been ignored. Watch the ad below.
As the ad began to circulate on social media, it has polarized the internet. Many people are calling out PETA for taking the kneeling protests of Colin Kaepernick and other athletes and casting animals in their narrative.
