Colin Kaepernick could have an endorsement deal with Adidas. But first he needs to sign with an NFL team
Colin Kaepernick still hasn’t signed with an NFL team. But if the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback does, he appears to have an endorsement deal from Adidas waiting for him.
“If he signs on a team, we would definitely want to sign him,” Mark King, president of the athletic apparel and shoe company’s North America division, said Friday at Arizona State University’s Global Sport Summit.
Of course, that’s a pretty big “if.” Kaepernick has been unemployed in the NFL since opting out of his contract with the 49ers more than a year ago. Many feel he is being blackballed by NFL owners after he started a movement by refusing to stand for the national anthem during the 2016 season as a protest against social injustice.
King said Kaepernick’s social activism would not be a problem for Adidas.
“We love athletes that have a platform to make the world a better place,” King said. “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 added: “We’re not in the business of activism. We’re in the business of sport. But allowing our athletes to tell their story, it’s really important to us.”
Twitter: @chewkiii
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