Nike takes on Trump by naming Colin Kaepernick the face of 30th anniversary of ‘Just Do It’

Nike Inc. is taking a stand on taking a knee.

The company’s new ad campaign will feature Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who led player protests against racial injustice and police brutality during the national anthem, in a highly political move directly at odds with the rhetoric of President Trump.

Kaepernick revealed his role in the campaign in a Monday tweet that was subsequently retweeted by Nike’s NKE, -2.68%^[1]   corporate Twitter account. Nike shares were down some 3% at one point Tuesday before trimming that loss.

Though Kaepernick is still a man without a team, his endorsement contract with Nike is extended into a new multiyear deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported^[5]. That may include his own branded line of apparel, according to Yahoo NFL reporter Charles Robinson^[6].

Nike said Kaepernick is among a slate of athletes that the shoe and apparel maker — it has a reported billion-dollar deal to make NFL uniforms and other gear — will feature as it marks the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” campaign. That includes tennis star Serena Williams, who also tweeted.

Response on Twitter drew both praise and criticism for the ad campaign, including those who lamented the commercialization of the social justice efforts. Others welcomed the big money pressure on the NFL to keep race issues front and center, especially in a sport predominately played by African Americans.