NFL greenlights hard-liquor ads to appear on TV during the 2017 season

• NFL television partners will now be able to accept advertisements that showcase distilled spirits.
• Each station will be limited to no more than four 30-second hard-liquor ads each game, and no more than two ads can appear in one quarter or during the halftime break.
• The networks — ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC — are permitted to run two of these ads during their pregame and postgame shows.

Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots drinks beer during the Super Bowl victory parade on February 7, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.

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The National Football League is changing its policy on hard liquor this season, at least when it comes to its advertising spots.

The NFL will now allow its television partners to accept advertisements from companies that sell distilled spirits, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The league will accept no more than four 30-second hard-liquor ads per game and no more than two ads can appear in the same quarter or during the halftime break. The networks — ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC — are permitted to run two of these ads during their pregame and postgame shows.

In addition, all ads must include a "prominent social responsibility message," the Wall Street Journal reported.

The NFL will continue to restrict advertisements from energy drinks, certain vitamin and supplement retailers, casinos or hotels that feature gambling in their ads, and violent movies and video games.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

(Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent of CNBC.)