(Image source from: NFL improve public image})

The NFL's campaign to improve its public image while getting serious about players who commit domestic violence took to the airwaves Thursday night as the Broncos and Chargers faced off.

The league began airing PSAs during "Thursday Night Football" as part of the No More campaign. The ads feature 23 current and former NFL players, including Merton Hanks, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Cris Carter, Eli Manning, John Lynch and Prince Amukamara. Other similar PSAs featuring celebrities have been airing during NFL games since Week 4 of the season.

Some featured in the ad had personal experiences with the issue, including Troy Vincent, an NFL executive whose mother is a survivor of domestic violence and Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay, whose mother was killed by an abusive partner.

According to the LA Times, the league has spent about $3 million each weekend on the ads.

Actress Mariska Hargitay, who helped create the videos, told USA Today that the PSAs would be a "monumental step toward change."

"If badass NFL heroes are coming forward to talk about these issues, I guarantee you it is going to give inspiration and permission to young boys to step up in a new way. Love in a new way, protect in a new way and to be a man in a new way. That's what's so beautiful, right?"

AW: Arun Kumar