Colin Kaepernick to front Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ ad campaign

Quarterback triggered a political firestorm after kneeling during the US anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2016 file photo, from left, San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold, quarterback Colin Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif. An arbitrator is sending Kaepernick's grievance with the NFL to trial, denying the league's request to throw out the quarterback's claims that owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests of social injustice.  (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is part of a new Nike campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of the sporting equipment giant's "Just Do It" slogan, reports said Monday.

Kaepernick, 30, who triggered a political firestorm after kneeling during the US national anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice, has not played in the NFL since early 2017.

He is suing the NFL, claiming he has been frozen out of the league by team owners because of his activism.

The new Nike advertisements, which were unveiled just days before the kick-off of the 2018 NFL season, show a portrait of Kaepernick with the slogan: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Kaepernick posted the advertisement on his Twitter account followed by #JustDoIt.

ESPN reported that Nike had kept Kaepernick, who signed a sponsorship deal with the company in 2011, on its payroll throughout the controversy of recent years.

"We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward," Gino Fisanotti, Nike's vice president of brand for North America, told ESPN.

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The advertisements come just days after Kaepernick was cheered by spectators when he appeared alongside fellow player and activist Eric Reid at the US Open tennis tournament to watch Serena Williams on Friday.

Kaepernick’s protests have become a bitterly divisive issue among NFL fans after President Donald Trump reignited the controversy.

Mr Trump described players like Kaepernick who knelt for the anthem as “sons of bitches” who should be fired.

Mr Trump has repeated those criticisms frequently over the past year, even suggesting at one stage that protesting players “shouldn’t be in the country”.

In June, Mr Trump cancelled the visit of Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House after several players indicated they would not attend.