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While it is appalling these players hold these views, it is hardly news that NFL players are less than enlightened when it comes to GLBT issues. What is shocking, however, is that Mars, Inc., a multi-billion dollar company, allowed such materials to air with their approval.

Madison Avenue spends millions of dollars researching and designing their ads and websites; every element of an advertising campaign is analyzed and critiqued. It's impossible to believe that Mars, Inc., including its high level executives, wouldn't be privy to this information. In any event, they're the ones paying for these ads to be broadcast and this website to be created.

Given the audience for football and the Super Bowl skews toward young men, the ad and the website is clearly aimed by at young males, a fact confirmed by a Mars representative. Is Mars knowingly pandering to the supposed homophobia of young males? Did they imagine no one other than their target audience would bother to check out their site? Or did they somehow simply miss the homophobia they were promoting?

Each answer is potentially troubling in different ways.

The Mars, Inc., website boasts of five principles that inform how their company does business. The Responsibility Principle says respect for the individual is at the heart of their company. Unfortunately, Mars, Inc.'s actions indicate that respect doesn't extend to the GLBT community.

And what of the NFL? These are their players making these statements. It is their logo affixed to the Snickers website. This is an organization known for tightly controlling their image. Is the LGBT community simply to believe that no one from the NFL vetted these ads or the commentary by their players? If so, did they not raise alarm bells in the organization or were NFL officials all right with the message being sent?

If that is the case, it is disappointing, as the NFL has taken steps lately to combat homophobia amongst their players. Just last year the league fined Pittsburgh Steelers player Joey Porter for using homophobic slurs about another player.

The Colts, however, are already facing questions concerning their attitudes about the gay community. Several weeks ago it was announced that Colts head coach Tony Dungy was to be the guest of honor at the Indiana Family Insitute's special events dinner. The IFI is the leading proponent of a state constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage in Indiana. The IFI, associated with James Dobson's Focus on the Family, is also currently active in Indiana trying to restrict other rights of gays and lesbians.

An ad for the event features Dungy wearing Colts paraphernalia as if he is coaching a game. In doing so, it seems it is not only Dungy lending his name and reputation to the IFI, but the entire Colts organization and, by extension, the NFL.

All of this raises troubling issues concerning how Mars Inc. and the NFL views the GLBT community, issues both organizations need to address as quickly as possible.

Says Neil Giuliano of GLAAD, "That Snickers, Mars and the NFL would promote and endorse this kind of prejudice is simply inexcusable.”

We couldn't agree more.

Neither Mars, the Colts, the Bears or the NFL responded for requests to comment by press time.

UPDATE: AfterElton.com was contacted by a representative of Masterfoods USA and told that while the ad had tested well and that humor is subjective, they had not meant to give offense and the ad would not be shown again. Read the full statement on our blog.

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