Da Coach is getting a new sponsorship deal. Seems Mike Ditka is gonna peddle a Viagra rival.

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As a professional football player and coach, "Iron" Mike Ditka was known for his toughness. Now he's being paid to show his sensitive side.

Bayer AG and GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the pharmaceutical companies, have hired Ditka to promote Levitra, their new impotence drug, in a campaign to encourage men to confront touchy health problems.

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"We really think we've scored a touchdown with Ditka. We were looking for a real guy who could relate to men," said Nancy Bryan, vice president of marketing for men's health at Bayer.

As the Levitra pitchman, Ditka has two enormous tasks ahead of him: to make men feel comfortable enough to go to the doctor for erectile dysfunction and to convince them to ask for a drug other than Viagra.

Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl title in 1986 and was the first tight end elected to the Football Hall of Fame, is known to fans for his gruff manner, unyielding perfectionism and abrasive attitude.

Are Bayer and Glaxo worried he will be too off-putting to convince men to address erectile dysfunction?

"In spite of that image, the interesting thing is that he comes across as being very personable and very interested in men's health," said David Pernock, a vice president at Glaxo.

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Let's all give Ditka a big "Thumb's Up" on his new gig.

Or another part of the anatomy.