On Monday, NFL apparel suppliers Nike launched a campaign featuring an image of former San Francisco 49er Kaepernick alongside their swoosh logo, ‘Just do it’ motto and the words “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”.
Kaepernick, who has been without an NFL team since March 2017, sparked controversy in 2016 when he knelt during the national anthem in protest over perceived racial injustice and police brutality, and in November 2017 he filed a grievance against the league in which he alleged franchise owners colluded to prevent him from signing for a team.
The NFL season begins on Thursday when defending Super Bowl champions the Eagles meet the Atlanta Falcons, and Nike’s new campaign has divided opinion.
United States president Donald Trump told The Daily Caller the sportswear giant sent “a terrible message” and some social-media users uploaded videos of them burning trainers, yet Serena Williams said she was “proud” to represent the brand while other NFL players also tweeted their support.
Speaking shortly after the league released a statement stating the issues raised by Kaepernick “deserve our attention and action”, Ajayi hailed the 30-year-old.
A post shared by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Sep 3, 2018 at 12:20pm PDT
“I just think he’s an admirable person - being able to speak his truth and what he believes and stands for, regardless of the consequences of what’s happened to him and his career,” said Ajayi.
“I think it’s dope, it’s really cool that Nike did that for him, allowing him to use his voice on a really big platform.
“I would say that’s a really cool thing. It was good to see all the support as well for that.”
Ajayi had liked Kaepernick’s Instagram post of the advert and last season, while with the Miami Dolphins, he wore an ‘#IMWITHKAP’ t-shirt to show support.
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