A Missouri college is removing college clothing that sports the Nike emblem after former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and activist Colin Kaepernick became the face of the organization’s “Just Do It” campaign.
“If Nike is ashamed of America, we are ashamed of them,” College of the Ozarks President Jerry Davis said in a statement Wednesday, Campus Reform reported Thursday.
Kaepernick tweeted the ad featuring several athletes like tennis player Serena Williams and basketball player Lebron James on Wednesday.
Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/x5TnU7Z51i
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 5, 2018
“Believe in something,” Kaepernick says in the middle of the video as the background showed an American flag. “Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Kaerpernick began kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 NFL preseason to protest racial injustice and bring attention to social justice issues, ABC News reported. He said the NFL was colluding to keep him out of the league in a grievance he filed against the organization in 2017.
“In their new ad campaign, we believe Nike executives are promoting an attitude of division and disrespect toward America,” Davis said in the statement, according to Campus Reform.
Davis added that those in military uniforms would likely know more about what sacrifice is about than those in athletic uniforms. (RELATED: Colin Kaepernick’s Newest Fan: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)
The private, Christian college participates in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and has hosted the National Men’s Basketball Tournament for 18 years. The college said that it would walk away from games if the opposing team disrespected the American flag or national anthem by kneeling, sitting or turning their backs in 2017, the Springfield News-Ledger reported.
The college holds a commemoration on Sept. 11, reading the Constitution on Sept. 17 for Constitution Day, holding a Veteran’s Day service and hosting an annual Independence Day celebration to emphasize American patriotism and heritage, according to the college’s website.
Nike and The College of the Ozarks did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.