As the nation begins thinking of that turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day, NBC will launch an NFL promo featuring former two NFL players, in what is supposed to be a heartwarming and funny spot.
Unfortunately, one of the two former NFL greats is a registered sex offender.
Joe Theismann and Lawrence Taylor… together again. #NBC #SNF #Redskins #Giants Great Promo. @Theismann7 pic.twitter.com/RhZmi10XD3
— Carol Maloney (@carolmaloney4) November 20, 2017
The ad with former Redskins quarterback Theismann and Giants linebacker Taylor plays a riff on the time they met on the field that resulted in a disastrous, career-ending injury for Theismann.
Seconds into the spot, Taylor says, “it’s been a while since we’ve been together,” to which Theismann chuckles saying “thank goodness for that.” Then Taylor grabs a turkey leg from the table and asks if Theismann would like “a leg.”
The “joke” of wanting a leg is a reference to the 1985 game in which Taylor delivered a brutal tackle that ended up breaking Theismann’s leg in a play that still stands as one of the NFL’s most memorable moments.
Both men laugh, and the spot ends urging fans to watch the NFL on NBC on Thanksgiving Day.
But, one thing NBC does not mention is that Lawrence Taylor has a record as a sexual offender. And in this day of heightened awareness of sex offenders, it is odd that NBC chose to go with this campaign.
In 2011 Taylor was sentenced to six years of probation over accusations that he raped an underage prostitute in New York back in 2010. He was also designated as a sex offender for the assault, but got no jail time, according to The New York Daily News.
During the trial, the victim said that he held her against her will in a Holiday Inn hotel room and even beat her to stop her from leaving, including kicking and punching her.
That may be one of his worst offenses, but Taylor has a long list of other legal troubles, too. The Hall of Famer has convictions for drunk driving, has several drug offenses on his record, an arrest for failing to pay child support, a charge of leaving the scene of a traffic accident, and even a conviction on tax fraud.
NBC is also the company that owns Saturday Night Live, which, on Tuesday, released the names of 36 women associated with SNL, who still support Al Franken even after his sexual misconduct towards Leeann Tweeden. Meanwhile, NBC continues to turn up the heat on the Roy Moore allegations of sexual misconduct with a child; while they use a proven child sex offender in a Thanksgiving Day commercial.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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