Nike Has “No Plans” To Give Colin Kaepernick A Signature Shoe

His suit alleges that all 32 teams systematically froze him out despite his evident athletic ability because they blamed him for instigating protests that have dinged ratings and the NFL’s image.

Kaepernick, who has yet to find work as a quarterback after becoming a free agent, has been a controversial figure because of his social justice protests during the National Anthem.

Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that, in depositions for Kaepernick’s grievance, National Football League owners indicated that President Trump’s attacks on the player protests pushed them to change the rules for the season just underway.

While the move by Nike may have come as a surprise to some, Yahoo Sports reported that Adidas and Puma were among multiple brands that had conversations about potentially building around Kaepernick if Nike failed to renew his deal.

“We want to know from you, are you going to continue to support Nike?”.

“Colin Kaepernick drew our collective attention to the problem of continued racial injustice in America”, former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan wrote on Twitter.

Kaepernick is just one of a series of athletes being featured as part of the campaign – Serena Williams forms part of it, too.

Over 30,000 people were tweeting with the hashtag #NikeBoycott on Tuesday morning, making it among the top trending topics on Twitter.

“Our Soundman just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks”, Rich wrote on Twitter.

Kaepernick, 30, who is now without a team, sparked a wave of protests across the National Football League and other athletic events in 2016 after he started kneeling during the American national anthem to protest against police brutality against African Americans.

Nike’s deal also means that, though countless fans immediately pledged to boycott the brand ― even going so far as to light their shoes on fire (yes, really) ― they may find it hard to avoid all National Football League products entirely.

The US leader has repeated those criticisms frequently over the past year, even suggesting at one stage that protesting players “shouldn’t be in the country”.

To coincide with the 30th anniversary of its first Just Do It campaign, Nike has released a new series that celebrates the greats of the sporting world.