claim: In September 2017, Tennessee businessman and CEO of Hardwick Clothes Allan Jones withdrew all NFL-related advertising for his companies, in response to "unpatriotic" national anthem protests.
origin: In the midst of an ongoing controversy over protests by professional football players and coaches during the national anthem, reports emerged in late September 2017 that the CEO of a clothing company and payday lender had cut ties with the league in response to what he deemed a lack of patriotism. Fox Business wrote: < Allan Jones, CEO of Check Into Cash and suit maker Hardwick Clothes, said his companies â€œwill not condone unpatriotic behavior.â€ More than 200 NFL [National Football League] players conducted protests during the national anthem last Sunday after President Trump called on the leagueâ€™s owners to fire anyone who kneels during the pregame ceremony. â€œFor the 29 states we operate in, this isnâ€™t much to them, but itâ€™s a lot to us. The Tombras Group is our ad agency in Knoxville and our national media buyer for both TV and radio [for Check Into Cash] and donâ€™t look for Hardwick on the NFL either,â€ Jones wrote on his Facebook page. > The story is true. On 26 September 2017, Jones, who also owns Buy Here Pay Here U.S.A. and U.S. Money Shops, posted a screenshotÂ to his Facebook page showing an email instructing his ad-buyer to stop any commercials for his companies from being broadcast during NFL games.Â < Our companies will not condone in any form the unpatriotic behavior demonstrated by the NFL. > In the Facebook post accompanying the email, Jones concluded: â€œTAKING A STANDâ€¦NOT A KNEE!â€ In a subsequent interview with Fox Businessâ€™s Stuart Varney, Jones added that the removal of the advertisements would last for at least the remainder of the current season. Itâ€™s not clear how much NFL-related advertising expenditure had been slated by Jonesâ€™s companies this season. A representative for his management company was not immediately available for comment.Â