If you were happy that the dreadful Super Bowl ad featuring Bruce Springsteen was pulled, well I have some bad news for you: Jeep has announced that it’s bringing back the ad.
A few days after the big game, news broke that Springsteen was arrested in New Jersey a few months prior for DWI, reckless driving, and consuming alcohol in a closed area. His blood-alcohol content at the time was only 0.02, which is far under the state’s legal limit of 0.08. The whole story about his arrest is very weird and Jeep pulled the presumably expensive Super Bowl ad, titled The Middle, soon after.
At a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors dropped the DWI and reckless driving charge, the Wall Street Journal reports:
During a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said they were dropping the two driving-related charges because tests showed Mr. Springsteen’s blood-alcohol level was under the legal limit. Federal Judge Anthony R. Mautone subsequently dismissed the two charges during the hearing.
During the hearing, Mr. Springsteen pleaded guilty to the third charge of consuming alcohol in a closed area. Judge Mautone imposed a $500 fine on Mr. Springsteen for the charge, citing the rock star’s mostly clean driving record and lack of previous criminal convictions.
Jeep also released a statement following the hearing, from Ad Age:
As we stated previously, we paused the commercial until the facts were established. Now, that the matter has been resolved, we are unpausing the film.
The Middle ad that aired during the game garnered negative criticism. The idea of uniting people is great, but Jeep managed to execute it so badly that it made pretty much everyone mad. The automaker didn’t even place Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on a map! It’s also strange that what’s more or less a car ad doesn’t even feature a current product.
The ad is back up on Jeep’s YouTube channel as of Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, Jeep has disabled the comments on the video.