Bob McCarty Writes

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl.

If a post at The Thunder Run is accurate, National Football League officials have made a boneheaded decision related to members of the U.S. Armed Forces Color Guard and their participation at the Super Bowl in Tampa Feb. 1.  [See UPDATE #2 at end of post]

The blog received the email below, which outlined the issue, from a distraught Marine mom:

“My youngest Marine called me this morning. In the course of the conversation he made mention of being part of the Color Guard for the ceremonies at the Super Bowl. He has been part of other Color Guards at other games and has been able to enjoy the entire game after presenting the Colors. HOWEVER, this will not be the case this time. The 12 man/women color guard will be presenting the Colors and then will be escorted out of the stadium and therefore not allowed to see the game. Steven and the 11 others are quite upset about this and have asked that I see if I could contact someone and have that changed.”

What’s behind the NFL’s decision?  I suspect that one — or both — of the following reasons are behind it:

• NFL officials want fans — patriotic fans, that is — to believe the organization is so cash-strapped that it cannot afford to provide Super Bowl tickets to 12 members of the Armed Forces Color Guard; and/or
  

• NFL officials are unappreciative of the sacrifices made by men and women serving in the military and, as a result, are unwilling to allow 12 members of the military to watch the game.

In either case, the NFL’s decision to exclude these honorable members of the military from watching the game was a bad one and needs to be reversed.

If NFL executives opt not to reverse their decision, football fans across the nation should show how they feel about the decision by boycotting the game and all activities and merchandise that benefits the league.

If you agree, let NFL officials know how you feel via one — or all — of the methods below:

1.  Send an e-mail;

2.  Call the NFL at (212) 450-2000; and/or

3.  Write a letter to the NFL (but do it soon!) at the address below:

National Football League
280 Park Avenue # 12
New York, NY 10017

Hat tip:  Instapundit

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UPDATE 1/23/09 at 11:44 a.m. Central: An NFL spokesperson told me by phone a few minutes ago that league officials are discussing the matter at this time and should reach a decision “shortly” regarding whether or not the boneheaded decision outlined in the post above.  He defined “shortly” as possibly today or after the weekend. Developing…

UPDATE #2 1/23/09 at 1:54 p.m. Central: According to a report just published at ProFootballTalk.com, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello just announced that, after conferring with the league’s military liaison, the 12-member Color Guard will be permitted to remain in the stadium and watch the game.  Good move, NFL!