Dive Brief:
- Seattle Seahawks players Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin took some jabs at the NFL's brand and media rules during a presser this week.
- The players' rant was in response to fellow player Marshawn Lynch's $100,000 fine for refusing to speak to the press — something that is written into the NFL's media availability rules.
- Sherman and Baldwin put on a bit of a skit pointing out that the NFL doesn't pay for media appearances, but their sponsors do. Also, the NFL forbids players to endorse alcohol brands, but the league's biggest sponsor is A-B InBev.
Dive Insight:
The NFL is probably not too thrilled about Sherman and Baldwin's display, but the pair do have some valid points. It will be telling if the NFL penalizes the players at all, because it is highly unlikely to do anything about the rules Sherman and Baldwin pointed out.
