Colin Kaepernick will be one of the athletes featured by Nike as part of the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” ad campaign.
Nike recently replaced Adidas as the NFL’s official apparel sponsor and manufactures the jerseys and game day apparel.
“Believe in something,” the advertisement reads in white letters in front of a black-and-white portrait of Kaepernick. “Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
“We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward,” Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice president of brand for North America, told ESPN.
“We wanted to energize its meaning and introduce ‘Just Do It’ to a new generation of athletes,” Fisanotti said.
The Associated Press said Kaepernick negotiated a new multi-year deal with Nike that will feature him in billboards, television commercials and a new apparel line despite the quarterback’sremaining free-agency status. He played his last NFL game in 2016. Nike signed Kaepernick in 2011.
Last week, an arbitrator ruled there is evidence that the NFL colluded to not hire Colin Kaepernick, and that his case can go forward. The former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem in a protest over protest racial inequality and police brutality and has been a free agent since 2017.
Other athletes including Serena Williams, LeBron James, Lacey Baker, Shaquem Griffin and Odell Beckham Jr. will also be featured in the campaign.
Image courtesy Twitter
