Dallas Cowboys Face Criticism After Partnership With Black Rifle Coffee

The company was founded in 2014 by Mr. Hafer, a former Green Beret and C.I.A. contractor who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and two fellow veterans who also served in those countries. This is not the company’s first foray into sports partnerships. It recently announced deals with the professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek and three NASCAR drivers.

The Cowboys did not respond to requests for an interview on Thursday.

Jerry Jones, the team’s owner, emphasized veterans in a statement on Wednesday. “Every cup of coffee in the stadium, every bag of Cowboys coffee sold, represents a step in fulfilling the Black Rifle mission,” Mr. Jones said.

The Cowboys have weathered other controversy over the years, as in 2018, when Mr. Jones said his players would be required to stand on the field for the playing of the national anthem and would not be allowed to stay in the locker room, which the N.F.L. had said was permitted.

The team has also responded to growing public alarm about gun violence. In June, the Cowboys announced that the team would donate $200,000 each to two funds to support the families of the victims of the shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde.

Black Rifle Coffee’s marketing language and embrace of conservative causes have drawn criticism in recent years, such as when its C.E.O. appeared supportive of President Trump’s efforts to ban travel from predominantly Muslim countries.

The company’s website says it makes “freedom roasts” for “people who love America.” Its Silencer Smooth blend is sold in “rounds,” or coffee pods to the rest of the world. The Murdered Out roast is said to be “for all of you night riders out there” carrying out “midnight ops.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/us/dallas-cowboys-black-rifle-coffee.html