Apparel giant Nike has
terminated its relationship with boxer Manny Pacquiao after his recent
inflammatory comments about the LGBT community.
“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” the statement reads. “Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
The split comes after a recent TV5 interview in the Philippines, where Pacquiao said gay people were worse than animals:
“It's common sense. Do you see
animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can
distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with
women they are worse than animals."
The negative press immediately began pouring in as Pacquiao tried to
remedy the situation by issuing an apology via video, however it
apparently wasn’t enough to satisfy the folks at Nike:
Pacquiao first signed with Nike
in 2006, and was one of their most recognizable and beloved brand
ambassadors. And now, after a decade, the relationship is over.
Given just how influential a
sponsor like Nike is, the question remains: is this just the beginning
for Pacquiao? If a company such as Nike can drop one of its more popular
spokesmen, who else will follow suit?
Pacquiao is set to meet Timothy Bradley
on April 9 in Las Vegas in what will be his last fight. If he keeps
losing sponsors, though, he may want to hold off on that planned
retirement.
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