Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week is Back for the 2012 NFL Season

PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi MAX, the National Football League (NFL) and the NFLPA (NFL Players, Inc.) have teamed up to bring fans the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week, a program through which fans can vote for a stand-out Rookie each week of the 2012 NFL regular season.

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Fans can vote for one of five nominated players on NFL.com/rookies beginning every Tuesday at 9 am ET and ending on Friday at 3 pm ET to determine the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week.  The Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week will be announced each Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.

This year, in partnership with Funny Or Die, the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week program was launched with a video featuring actor Sean Astin using his experience from "Rudy" to teach NFL rookies about football.  Astin's assortment of constructive criticism, insightful tips and helpful advice is featured on Funny or Die, and includes sit downs with Robert Griffin III, Dwayne Allen, Russell Wilson, Brian Quick and DeVier Posey.

"The Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week program connects fans directly to the NFL and the players," said, Todd Kaplan, Director, Pepsi Sports Marketing. "This year we wanted to kick-off the program in a humorous way and partnering with Funny or Die was a natural choice."

After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year honors.  Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com/rookies throughout the month of January.  The Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year will be announced at the second annual "NFL Honors" awards show in New Orleans on Saturday, February 2, the night before Super Bowl XLVII.

In addition, Pepsi MAX has signed 2012 NFL Rookies Trent Richardson (Cleveland Browns), Stephon Gilmore (Buffalo Bills), Dre Kirkpatrick (Cincinnati Bengals), Whitney Mercilus (Houston Texans), Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans), Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears), Fletcher Cox (Philadelphia Eagles) and Nick Perry (Green Bay Packers) to promote the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week program through social media and local market activations. 

This is Pepsi's eleventh year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the eleventh year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.

PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest running and most successful sports sponsorships. PepsiCo will leverage its relationship with the NFL to connect with consumers throughout the season, with activations spanning many of the company's largest food and beverage brands. 

About Pepsi MAX                  
Pepsi MAX, with its zero calories and maximum Pepsi taste, is one of PepsiCo's billion-dollar global brands and is part of Pepsi Americas Beverages.  To learn more about Pepsi MAX, visit Pepsi Max on Facebook at: www.PepsiMAX.com/facebook or on Twitter at: @PepsiMAX.

About PepsiCo                   
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola - make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also, means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo