WTH? Georgia university cuts ties with Nike for Kaepernick ad
Emir Caner, president of Truett McConnell University (TMU) in Cleveland, Ga., announced Friday that the school would not support the brand or Kaepernick.
A tiny university in Georgia is making big claims. School officials announced that they will ban Nike products from its campus store, following the release of the company’s wildly successful ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, CBS reports.
READ MORE: New Orleans Saints players join protest to denounce Kenner, LA mayor’s Nike ban
Emir Caner, president of Truett McConnell University (TMU) in Cleveland, Ga., announced Friday that the school would not support the brand or Kaepernick.
He claimed Kaepernick as “a person known for wearing pigs on his socks, mocking law enforcement, kneeling against our flag, and mocking our troops,” he said in a statement.
“If Nike chooses to apologize to our troops and to our law enforcement officers, then—and only then—will TMU reconsider their brand,” Caner said.
The remaining apparel that is now in the stores will be sold and proceeds given to Wounded Warriors, a veterans charity, and the Fraternal Order of Police, he said.
Valerie M. Reeves, Truett McConnell University’s director of communications, said there is no other pending agreement between Nike and the school other than what’s sold at the campus store.
Former NFL player Kaepernick began protesting police brutality by kneeling at games during the national anthem. He was not protesting the flag, a false narrative promulgated by President Donald Trump.
READ MORE: NFL and Trump respond to Colin Kaepernick’s Nike ad
Caner, the university’s president, wrote in a message to CBS News, “We stand for our anthem because we honor our troops and their incredible sacrifice. It is the one symbol of freedom in this country that is apolitical, that represents our desire for a more perfect union. To take a knee is to insult the 200 year history that has given us a DNA of sacrifice.”
Truett McConnell University is a small liberal arts college with a student population of 2,600 students.
In similar news, the mayor of Kenner, Louisiana, came under fire for ordering a ban of Nike products at the city’s recreation facilities after the ad campaign launched.
However, Nike saw a 31 percent uptick in online sales following the Kaepernick ad endorsement.
