X/Twitter placed NFL ads on white nationalists' accounts

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has indirectly pulled the NFL into its latest controversy. According to a report from Media Matters, the social media platform has been placing NFL advertisements onto the accounts of prominent white nationalists.

Writer Eric Hananoki highlighted five accounts that total more than one million followers that have been the beneficiary of NFL ads. The best known of the accounts, at least in mainstream media, comes from Richard Spencer, who came to infamy due to his rhetoric leading up to the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. As one of its organizers, Spencer was found liable for conspiracy in advance of the violence that took place that day.

One of the most incendiary instances of an ad from the NFL appearing alongside one of these accounts was when Stew Peters, who has continued to question the authenticity of Damar Hamlin's collapse during the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals "Monday Night Football" game in January, posted a video where he asks why the league issued a "gag order" to all players and coaches after the incident. (FactCheck.org debunked this claim as part of a wider investigation into a death hoax of Hamlin.)

Hananoki pointed out the NFL's diversity initiatives in recent years in a way of showing how X's advertising approach works in complete contradiction of the league's words:

"In recent years, the NFL has attempted to brand itself as committed to diversity and racial equality. After former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the league last year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed that 'we have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable.'

"Goodell also said: 'Racism and any form of discrimination is contrary to the NFL's values.' But that doesn’t seem to extend to the NFL’s advertising."

X has always had to contend with both misinformation and the prominence of hate speech against minority groups. However, since Elon Musk brought the company in 2022, hate speech has increased exponentially on the platform, raising concerns over brand safety for multiple advertisers. Musk's takeover of Twitter and his rebranding to "X" has been closely scrutinized in light of his fickle and inconsistent decision-making, his own trolling tweets and apparent alignment with far-right provocateurs.

The NFL is not the only company that has been connected to advertising issues on X. In August, pharmaceutical company Gilead suspended advertising on X after Media Matters reported that its ads appeared on pro-Nazi accounts. Musk's search for revenue has led him to reverse a 2019 policy where Twitter banned all political advertising, something that will create even more mayhem ahead of a contentious election cycle in 2024.