College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, announced on Wednesday that Nike would no longer be the apparel sponsor for the school’s student-athletic program. The decision came just two days after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was revealed as the spokesman for the company’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” ad campaign.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Students will no longer be allowed to wear the Nike brand. In 2017, after Kaepernick began his kneeling protest of the national anthem, the college added a policy to its sports contracts that requires all players and coaches participating in games at the school respect the anthem and the American flag.
“If Nike is ashamed of America, we are ashamed of them,” said College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis in a statement released by the school. “We also believe that those who know what sacrifice is all about are more likely to be wearing a military uniform than an athletic uniform.”
Dr. Marci Linson, the vice president for patriotic activities and dean of admission, added, “Nike is free to campaign as it sees fit, as the College is free, and honor-bound by its mission and goals, to ensure that it respects our country and those who truly served and sacrificed.”
