The annual college football bowl game was postponed for a day because of the January 1 terrorist attack in New Orleans that left 14 dead.
Allstate was the title sponsor of the game, and shortly before kickoff on Thursday, CEO Tom Wilson aired a 30-second message to fans in the Superdome and those watching on ESPN. It started with a short acknowledgement of the tragedy the day before and offered condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones.
But then it turned into a lecture on being "stronger together and "overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity."
He asked the audience to join Allstate in pushing some social changes:
"Amplify the positive, increase trust, and accept people's imperfections and differences."
Jerry Bowyer of Faith Driven Investor cannot help but conclude that Wilson was blaming America and chalking the terror attack up to the terrorist's "imperfections."
"I was just amazed that he thought that it was important to take company time and resources to essentially lecture us on how to respond to a terror attack," Bowyer tells AFN.
He remembers a similar politically correct reaction to 9/11.
"I felt like there was also another message here, which is let's not be too reactive to this," offers Bowyer. "Let's not overreact to this."
In response to the subsequent social media outrage, Allstate provided a statement to Fox News Digital.
"To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all forms. We stand with the families of the victims, their loved ones and the community of New Orleans. The reference to overcoming divisiveness and negativity reflects a broader commitment to fostering trust and positivity in communities across the nation," the statement read.
