Longhorn Network Pulls Ad Critical of Texas Governor, Watch the A

Get our free mobile app

A commercial critical of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's COVID-19 response was pulled from the air on the Longhorn Network just minutes before Saturday's Texas-Rice game.

The Lincoln Project, an American political action committee formed by Republicans in 2019 to oppose former president Donald Trump, produced the commercial.

The ad, titled "Abbott's Wall," claims that you could make a wall of the caskets of the more than 60,000 Texans who have died from COVID-19 and it would stretch from Austin to San Antonio.
Hours before kickoff (at 4:16 p.m. on Saturday), the Lincoln Project tweeted the video, saying it would air on Longhorn Network.

The Lincoln Project released a statement and posted it to Twitter after the ad was pulled.

"The Lincoln Project produced an ad critical of Gov. Greg Abbott's COVID-19 response – paying to air the commercial nationally on the Longhorn Network during the University of Texas vs. Rice football game on Saturday, Sept. 18. Despite being cleared by ESPN's legal department 10 minutes before kickoff, we were informed that the ad would not run. When asked why, we were told it was a 'University-made decision.'"

The Lincoln Project's statement also said they will file a Freedom of Information request to see if any communications were made between the university and Greg Abbott's office. Abbott is an alum of the University of Texas. ESPN, who runs the Longhorn Network, is a division of The Walt Disney Company.

So, what do you think of the Longhorn Network pulling the ad? Do you think Greg Abbott had anything to do with the commercial being pulled? Give us your thoughts and opinion on Facebook or on our station app.

Executed Death Row Inmates from the Texas Panhandle

The following individuals were convicted of Capital Murder for crimes committed in the Texas Panhandle (Amarillo and its surrounding areas) and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Read a brief summary on the area's executed Death Row inmates.

All information and photos have been taken from TDCJ and court records.

LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore

The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.