Chunky Soup Curse

The Chunky Soup Curse is a mythical hex that seems to follow NFL players who appear in ads for Campbell's Chunky Soup. The Curse was independently discovered and originally popularized by Dan Lewis in September of 2002. Offensive players who appeared in Chunky Soup ads tend to fall prey to serious injuries, as often do their backups. Further, no player to appear in the ad campaign have yet to win a Super Bowl since his appearance, even though many have won titles beforehand.

Player-Sponsors
Terrell Davis and Kurt Warner, then of the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, appeared in early ads for the Soup. Each would suffer significant injuries. Davis' knee problems forced him into early retirements. Warner's injuries caused him to miss the better part of two seasons, effectively leading him to a journeyman's role keeping the starting quarterback position warm until a young prospect was ready to seize it.

In November, 2002, Donovan McNabb fell prey to the Curse. While facing the Arizona Cardinals, on the third of the game, McNabb was sacked by Adrian Wilson and LeVar Woods. McNabb fumbled the ball, fell to the ground, and held his right leg. He went to the locker room to have his ankle taped, but returned for the Eagles' second drive. His injury was reported to be a sprained ankle, but X-rays after the game revealed that it was a broken ankle. He missed the rest of the regular season.

Jerome Bettis, while not suffering any major injuries, has been hobbled by various ailments since appearing in the ads, his very successful 2004 notwithstanding.