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Adidas is ready to ink an endorsement deal with Colin Kaepernick as soon as he gets picked up by an NFL team, reports The Hill.
“If he signs on a team, we would definitely want to sign him,” Adidas President Mark King said Friday in Phoenix, AZ Central reported.
That lucky break has been few and far between for the NFL activist, who recently was shut out of a promising meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. The meeting was reportedly cancelled when Kaepernick refused to confirm whether he would still kneel in protest if signed with the team.
—Why Seattle Seahawks passed on Colin Kaepernick—
Adidas said they want to show support for Kaepernick’s activism and they are not “taking advantage of this noise or interest that he had generated.”
“We love athletes that have a platform to make the world a better place,” King said.
Kaepernick’s silent kneel during the national anthem has rubbed NFL owners the wrong way and many critics feel the talented QB has been blackballed from playing in the league.
—Black men arrested at Starbucks agree to meet with CEO—
But Adidas, on the other hand, seems to be eager to help Kaepernick further his social causes.
“If they’re an activist in a way that brings attention to something that moves the world forward, even if there’s controversy at that moment, we’re really interested in those athletes because I think it represents the world today,” King said.
But does Adidas need to wait until Colin Kaepernick is signed with another NFL team or should they just move forward now?
Some on social media felt like Kaepernick has a lot to offer the company whether or not he signs with a new NFL team.
Adidas can sign Kaepernick without him playing in the NFL. Do it. https://t.co/bSXGHP04D0
— Denizcan James (@MrFilmkritik) April 15, 2018
I haven’t bought a pair of @adidas in 20 years. That will change if Kap is signed. I know I’m not alone. @adidas, think of your bottom line. https://t.co/C1MEAcnKFX
— April (@ReignOfApril) April 16, 2018