Colin Kaepernick announced in a Monday tweet that he was being featured in Nike’s new campaign, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its “Just do it” slogan.
“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything #JustDoIt,” reads the text on a black-and-white image of Kaepernick’s face, which was shared by the official Nike account.
While Nike has received a lot of criticism, others have come out in support.After seeing Nike's announcement that names Kaepernick the face of the "Just Do It" campaign, venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton bought a pair of Nike shoes. Others burned theirs.
But many stars, including Nike-sponsored LeBron James and Serena Williams — who also are featured in the campaign — backed Kaepernick. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady “Liked” several posts featuring Kaepernick’s new ad.
Nike didn’t provide a response to the backlash, simply noting that it has Kaepernick since 2011.
It is unclear if the NFL knew Nike, one of the league’s partners, would feature Kaepernick.