Washington (CNN) Honoring U.S. troops at National Football League games should be done out of a sense of patriotism, not a quest for profit, says a bipartisan group of senators who are moving to ban the use of taxpayer dollars for the practice.

Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona; Jeff Flake, R-Arizona; and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, filed an amendment Thursday to the National Defense Authorization Act that bans the Department of Defense from spending taxpayer funds to honor American soldiers at sporting events.

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In a statement, the senators said the National Guard paid NFL teams nearly $7 million for marketing and advertising contracts over the last three years, including $675,000 to the New England Patriots, which included the team's "True Patriot" promotion, in which the team honored Guard troops during home game half-time shows. Other activities paid for by the Guard included color guard ceremonies, American flag ceremonies and player appearances at local high schools.

Earlier this year, Flake uncovered public documents detailing marketing contracts between 2011 and 2014 totaling some $377,000 between the New Jersey Army National Guard and the New York Jets. The documents specify that the funds covered "Hometown Hero" salutes on the billboards at the stadium, tickets for veterans and their families to attend games, and costs of veterans attending kickoff events with Jets players.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told CNN's Jake Tapper in May that the Jets should return the money to the National Guard.

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