Leaked Super Bowl 2018 Ad Suggests Game Is Fixed
Fans outraged after NFL promotion shows teams already decided
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A leaked promotion for the Super Bowl 2018 has left football fans outraged after the NFL advert shows the teams have already been chosen.
The National Football League has been accused of fixing the game by angry fans who claim the competition has been rigged in favor of game between the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings.
The ad appeared briefly on the various official social media accounts for the NFL, before being quickly removed again.
The promotion to win a trip to the Super Bow, shows New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady opposite Vikings quarterback Case Keenum flanking the Super Bowl logo.
The advertisement drew the ire of Eagles fans ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field, because it appears to predict the teams that will be playing in Super Bowl LII.
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The posts were quickly removed again as it seemed as though they had been accidentally uploaded a day early.
The ad below appears on the official, verified Facebook page of the NFL.
Check out the screenshot captured Friday morning by NJ:
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In addition to Eagles quarterback Nick Foles not being included in the photo, the copy for the advertisement for the contest is as follows:
"Your team is headed to Super Bowl LII...and you could too!
"When you donate to United Way, you could score 2 club-level seats to watch the PATRIOTS vs. the VIKINGS battle it out for the coveted Super Bowl title!
"But...that's not all!
"You could also WIN pre-game sideline access + other cool perks!
"Don't pass up this touchdown experience - donate TODAY for your chance to WIN big"
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As expected, Eagles fans flooded the initial Facebook posts with angry comments and suggestions that the game is fixed.
Apparently Google can predict the future? pic.twitter.com/RBWELxhon0
— 12up (@12upSport) January 19, 2018
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The Vikings would be the first team to host a Super Bowl in the history of the game, but would first have to beat the Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field to get there, and the Patriots would need to hold off the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game to make the contest's ad a reality.
Some Eagles players, feeling disrespected again, react to hearing about the controversial ad:
"They probably put that out on purpose to give us some more bulletin board material. That's crazy, though. I've never seen anything like that before. If they want to pencil them in, that's cool ... We still have a game to play. We're ready for Sunday.
"I don't know if the coaches have even seen that yet. But, it won't surprise me if that's on our bulletin boards tomorrow." - LB Nigel Bradham
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"Somebody did something. That's just wrong. We still have a game to play. Let them believe that. Let them have that. We're going to go out there and have fun on Sunday." - DE Brandon Graham
The NFL called the ad a "regrettable mistake."
