Dallas Cowboys Criticized for Partnering with Pro-Gun Coffee Brand

Donovan Wilson
Donovan Wilson

Richard Rodriguez/Getty

The Dallas Cowboys are receiving backlash online for their recent partnership with Black Rifle Coffee, a pro-gun coffee brand.

Through an announcement on Tuesday via Twitter, the football team said that they were collaborating with the coffee brand as part of their Independence Day celebration.

"#CowboysNation, please welcome America's Coffee to America's Team," the Tweet read. "We are celebrating America's birthday all week long by giving away tickets to a #DallasCowboys home game & a year subscription to @blckriflecoffee!"

After making the announcement however, the Cowboys quickly drew criticism from fans as the coffee company is pro-gun and gun-themed. Among their blends are "AK-47 Espresso," "Thin Blue Line," "Silencer Smooth" and "Murdered Out."

The tweet announcing the giveaway drew about 800 comments in the first 24 hours, most of them critical of the timing and the collaboration as a whole, CBS News reports.

The Cowboys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The day before the announcement, there was another mass shooting at Highland Park, Illinois, in which seven people died after a gunman began shooting during a Fourth of July parade.

RELATED: Highland Park Death Toll Increases to 7, Including Parents of Toddler Who Got Separated from Them During Shooting

Black Rifle Coffee has also been connected with Kyle Rittenhouse — who was found not guilty on all charges after shooting three men during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020 — and the owners of the coffee company endorsed former President Donald Trump's Muslim ban, Yahoo Sports reports.

"BRCC is proud to partner with the Dallas Cowboys, who are strongly committed to our mission of supporting veterans, first responders, and America's men and women in uniform," a Black Rifle spokesman said to CBS. "The long-planned announcement was timed to coincide with the Independence Day holiday — America's Team. America's Coffee. America's Birthday."

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Since announcing the collaboration, the Dallas Cowboys have not responded to the controversy on social media.

A month before the partnership, the Cowboys donated $400,000 to support victims and survivors of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which took the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the "Robb School Memorial Fund") or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.comPeople can also call the bank for additional donation options (domestic and international wiring options, etc.) at 830-278-6231.