CBS Rejects Veteran-Owned Company’s Pro-America ‘Just Stand’ Super Bowl Ad

CBS rejected a Super Bowl ad from a veteran-owned apparel company, that urges viewers to “just stand” for the flag and the national anthem.

CBS refused to take the ad from Nine Line Apparel claiming that the company did not have the income to afford the ad despite having annual sales of $25 million, the Washington Examiner reported.

For its part, Nine Line Apparel claimed that CBS rejected the ad because it was pro-flag, pro-military, and pro-first responder. The ad took direct aim at “those who kneel” during the national anthem and by extension those who support kneeling, like sportswear giant Nike did last year.

The rejected ad features members of the armed forces, firemen, and people saluting the flag and contains the slogan “just stand.”

Nike’s 2018 ad featured former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick along with the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Perhaps in direct response to the Nike ad, the Nine Line Apparel spot begins with Benghazi survivor U.S. Marine Mark Geist saying, “don’t ask if your loyalty is crazy, ask if your loyalty is crazy enough.”

Geist adds, “For those who kneel, they fail to understand that they can kneel, that they can protest, that they can despise what I stand for, even hate the truth that I speak, but they can only do that because I am crazy enough.”

Nine Line Apparel CEO Tyler Merritt slammed CBS for refusing to take the ad.

“CBS’s purported reason for rejecting a Super Bowl commercial that extols patriotism is totally out of bounds,” Merritt exclaimed. “Let’s call this what it is: a blatant attempt to censor a message that their politically correct executives find offensive. We urge Americans who believe it’s important to show respect for our flag and national anthem to join us in calling out this offensive bias. It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS.”

Calling itself, “relentlessly patriotic,” Nine Line sells t-shirts, sweatshirts, and casual wear with patriotic slogans for veterans, first responders, and supporters of the Second Amendment.

“It’s much more than getting dressed every day. It’s about being proud of who you are, what you wear, and how you walk through life. We are “Relentlessly Patriotic” we hold no punches, we don’t apologize for our love of country, we are America’s next greatest generation,” the company says on its web page.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.