Tide® and NFL Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship with the League and all 32 Teams

Locker room staple now officially “The Clean the NFL Trusts”

Procter and Gamble’s Tide and the National Football League today announced a multi-year sponsorship beginning with the 2012 NFL season.  A staple of NFL locker rooms for years, Tide is also now a sponsor of the League and all 32 NFL teams, affirming the brand as the “Official Laundry Detergent of the NFL.”

Tide’s NFL sponsorship is part of Procter and Gamble’s national sponsorship of the League.  Products across Tide’s portfolio will be sporting specialty NFL packaging prior to the start of the NFL season as part of a fully-integrated program with support across all marketing channels. Additionally, the individual team sponsorships allow Tide the opportunity to utilize team marks and execute team-specific marketing programs.

“Tide’s NFL sponsorship allows us to tap into the huge passion America has for the NFL and the emotion that more than 180 million fans have for their favorite teams,” says Sundar Raman, North America Fabric Care Marketing Director at P&G. “The NFL is the ultimate test for a laundry detergent and we’re proud that our brand is one the equipment managers trust to keep uniforms clean.” Read more

Emmy-nominated “NFL Turning Point” renewed for 2012, 2013 & 2014 seasons

Dan Patrick returns as host

Show to air throughout NFL playoffs with four episodes added per season

Emmy Award-nominated NFL Turning Point, the NBC Sports Network’s program that utilizes NFL Films’ unprecedented access to examine the turning point of high-profile NFL games every week, has been renewed for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons with more episodes added to allow the program to air throughout the NFL playoffs, NFL Films and the NBC Sports Group announced today.

With Football Night in America’s Dan Patrick returning as host, the 60-minute NFL Turning Point will make its 2012 season debut on Wednesday, September 12, and will air a total of 22 episodes, running weekly on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET throughout the entire NFL season, including the playoffs and Super Bowl. The season finale, scheduled to air on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, will look back at the turning point of Super Bowl XLVII. During last year’s inaugural season, NFL Turning Point aired 18 times, primarily on Thursday nights and only aired one program during the playoffs, which was the week prior to the Super Bowl.

“We were so pleased with NFL Turning Point’s quality and performance during its inaugural year that we worked with our partners at NFL Films to increase the number of episodes this year, allowing fans to watch the show throughout the NFL playoffs,” said Jon Miller, president, programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “NFL Turning Point is a cornerstone of the NBC Sports Network’s new original programming and representative of our commitment to the highest quality production standards. The Emmy Award nomination for the show’s first season is validation of that commitment and a tribute to our partners at NFL Films, who are true master storytellers.”

Said NFL Films President Steve Sabol, “Last year we had a great rookie season, but as Paul Brown once told me, ‘In the NFL, the biggest jump comes between the first and second year.’ We hope NFL Turning Point makes that type of leap this fall.”

Following its debut season, NFL Turning Point was nominated for Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology in March by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The Sports Emmys will be awarded this Monday night in New York City.

Each week, NFL Films utilizes its unprecedented access to cover games in its traditional behind-the-scenes, award-winning style. The crucial moment in each game — its turning point — is examined in-depth and from all angles using NFL Films’ unmatched cinematography, sideline and on-field audio as well as postgame access to players and coaches.

NFL Expands Overall Roster Limit to 90 Players

Overall roster limits have been expanded from 80 to 90 players per club, the NFL announced yesterday. This will provide teams with greater roster flexibility and allow more players to be developed and evaluated.

The 90-player roster limit, which goes into effect today at 4:00 PM ET, includes players on the active, inactive, practice squad, and exempt lists, and the following reserve lists: injured, physically unable to perform, non-football illness, non-football injury, suspended (for less than one year), future, drafted-unsigned, exclusive rights, first refusal rights, unrestricted free agents with an individually negotiated right of first refusal, franchise, and transition.

The first roster reduction is to 75 players on the active list and will occur at 4:00 PM ET on the Tuesday, August 28 following preseason week 3. The final roster reduction is to 53 players on the active list and will occur at 9:00 PM ET on Friday, August 31 of preseason week 4.

2012 NFL Draft Notes

For the complete release, click here

33 NFL Greats to Announce Second & Third Round Draft Picks in Primetime; One Fan to Help Announce Pick of His/Her Favorite Team

The National Football League announced that 33 legendary NFL alumni, one representing each team and two representing the St. Louis Rams, will announce live on Friday, April 27, second- and third-round Draft picks from Radio City Music Hall.  This continues a successful program that began last year in which each selection in the second round is announced by a former player.

The NFL alumni scheduled to be on-hand to make the announcements from the podium feature six Pro Football Hall of Famers, including two from the Class of 2012.

For the complete release and list of players, click here

33 NFL greats to announce second & third round Draft picks in primetime; one fan to help announce pick of his/her favorite team

The National Football League announced that 33 legendary NFL alumni, one representing each team and two representing the St. Louis Rams, will announce live on Friday, April 27, second- and third-round Draft picks from Radio City Music Hall.  This continues a successful program that began last year in which each selection in the second round is announced by a former player.

The NFL alumni scheduled to be on-hand to make the announcements from the podium feature six Pro Football Hall of Famers, including two from the Class of 2012:

Teams marked with a * do not have a second-round selection, barring a trade into Round 2.  Their player representatives will announce their Round 3 picks.  Read more

Transcript: Mike Mayock’s Draft Preview Conference Call

For the transcript of today’s Draft preview conference call with NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, click here

NFL Community Events During Draft Week 2012

DRAFT PROSPECTS, COMMISSIONER GOODELL, CURRENT AND FORMER NFL PLAYERS JOIN AREA YOUTH FOR NFL PLAY 60 YOUTH FOOTBALL FESTIVAL DURING DRAFT WEEK

Players will team with area students from New York and New Jersey to help kids stay active for 60 minutes a day, as part of the NFL PLAY 60 youth health and fitness campaign. Students will learn NFL FLAG drills from USA Football coaches and participate in drills with players.  

 NFL Draft prospects and Commissioner Goodell will join in the festivities on Wednesday, April 25. The Draft prospects will lead local students in a youth football clinic on Wednesday morning, followed by a media availability at the clinic fields. Those credentialed to cover the 2012 NFL Draft may pick up their credential at this event from 9:00-10:30AM.

For more information, click here

NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS TO VISIT WITH CHILDREN AT THE MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER

NFL Draft prospects will visit with pediatric patients in the Kravis Children’s Hospital at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.  Players and the patients will meet in ‘The Zone,’ a state-of-the-art therapeutic play and educational environment for children and families funded by Troy Aikman, Garth Brooks and others in the Kravis Children’s Hospital. 

Children will have a chance to interview the future NFL standouts in the KidsZone/TV studios. 

For more infomation, click here

2012 NFL Draft – All in the Family

Every year, many players join the National Football League from families rich in athletic tradition. Here is a sampling of draft prospects who had family members compete at either the collegiate or professional level in the world of sports.

For the complete release, click here

Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning makes his debut — “The Top 100: Players of 2012″ premieres Saturday, April 28 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network

Weekly Series Counts Down Top Players in Today’s Game as Voted on by Current NFL Players — Airs Every Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET Following April 28 Debut

‘The Top 100: Players of 2012 – Reactions’ Follows Each Episode at 9:00 PM ET, Featuring Commentary from NFL Network Analysts, NFL Players & Fans

39 New Players Crack the 2012 List

The votes are in and the players have spoken. For the second year, current NFL players have weighed in to determine the top players in today’s game on the new season of the returning series, The Top 100: Players of 2012 Presented by Buffalo Wild Wings debuting Saturday, April 28 at 8:00 PM ET immediately following NFL Network’s live coverage of the 2012 NFL Draft. After the season debut, the NFL Films-produced series continues at its regular time on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM ET, beginning May 2.

Immediately following each episode LIVE at 9:00 PM ET will be The Top 100: Players of 2012 – Reactions Presented by Buffalo Wild Wings. Host Lindsay Rhodes and a rotating roster of NFL Network analysts and current NFL players discuss and debate the latest group of players to be unveiled from NFL Network’s Los Angeles studios. Fans have the opportunity to join in the debate and voice their own opinions and reactions on Facebook and Twitter, and vote for their own Top 100 on NFL.com/Top100.

After failing to make the Top 100 last year, where does Super Bowl XLVI MVP quarterback Eli Manning debut? Will new Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning make this year’s list? New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow was named today to Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” list…will he rank among the NFL’s Top 100? Which player fell more than 80 spots this year from last? The answers to these questions and more will be answered in the 11-part series which counts down from 100 to 1, unveiling 10 players in each one-hour episode. The season-finale unveiling the top 10 is split into two special one-hour episodes on Wednesday, June 27 at 8:00 PM & 9:00 PM ET.

A wide range of current NFL players present each selection and discuss the qualities which makes each player deserving of his ranking.

Tonight at 8:00 PM ET, The Top 100: Players of 2012 Preview Show offers a sneak preview of this year’s list.

For the complete press release, click here.