Von Miller To Lose Endorsement Deal For Kneeling During National Anthem?

Dozens of players across the NFL kneeled during the national anthem Sunday and Monday in protest after President Donald Trump trashed the practice. For Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, the move may have cost him some money.

A car dealership in Colorado asked two local television stations to pull a commercial featuring Miller after he kneeled. Miller’s contract with Phil Long Ford ended in the spring, but future contract negotiations appeared to now be in trouble.

“We are evaluating the events of the weekend. It is important to state that we haven't fired Von. We are in the middle of contract renewal and this weekend's events remind us that sometimes we feel that we best represent ourselves. We support Von and his first amendment rights, we know Von and he's a good person … All that notwithstanding when we bring in celebrities to represent us we run the risk of being misrepresented,” said the dealership in a statement.

Phil Long and Jay Cimino who started the dealership were both veterans.

“We, like millions of Americans are concerned and will respond consistently with our values as a proud American company founded by a war hero (Phil Long). While we can't control the actions of others we can be responsible for how we support our nation and community,” continued the statement. “This would be a great time for our community to show support for our military community by supporting this cause or others that continue to serve them after they serve us.”

Miller’s teammate Brandon Marshall lost two endorsement deals last year as a result of kneeling during the national anthem.

“I’m against social injustice. I’m not against the military, the police or America at all. I’m against social injustice,” said Marshall last year, according to Yahoo News.

Endorsement deals can bring in quite a bit of money for NFL players. Detroit Lions quarterback, the highest paid player in the NFL, will pull in $1.5 million from endorsements this year, according to Forbes. The second highest paid, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, will take in $11 million in endorsements.

Trump began his tirade against NFL players kneeling during the national anthem while stumping for Republican Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, who lost in a primary challenge Tuesday night. Trump used the term “son of a bitch,” when referring to kneeling players. Trump went on to tweet about the NFL for the next four days calling for players who kneel to be suspended or fired and for people to boycott the NFL.