At least they led the league in something. Between 2011 and 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense paid the Atlanta Falcons more than $1 million for the team's salutes to U.S. troops during its games -- more than any other team in the NFL.
The totals come from a NJ.com report that begins thusly:
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz) last week called out the New Jersey Army National Guard for the spending, which, in part, paid for a segment at Jets home games in which soldiers were featured on the big screen, thanked for their service and given tickets to the game.
Flake said most in the general public believe the segments were heartfelt salutes by their hometown football team, not an advertising campaign paid for with their money.
When he was in Congress, Jack Kingston of Savannah was among those fighting to curtail such spending. An amendment sponsored by Kingston to block the military from sponsoring NASCAR drivers was narrowly defeated a couple years ago. On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is ginning up a campaign for president, condemned the practice:
"If the money was paid for the Jets just for saluting the troops, they should give the money back because we should be saluting the troops because of what they do for our country," Christie said on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
If you’re a public official in Georgia, prepare to be asked about this. Today.
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