Nike Severs Ties With Manny Pacquiao After His Homophobic Outburst
“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent.”
Six-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao has lost the backing of Nike after his homophobic outburst this week on a Philippine television interview, calling homosexuals “worse than animals.” The 37-year-old conservative Christian politician, who is currently running for a seat in the senate in the Philippines, has since apologized for his comments, after initially seeming unrepentant when he wrote on Instagram that he was ”just telling the truth of what the Bible says.”
However, the Oregon sporting giant has still gone ahead with disposing of its sponsorship deal with Pacquiao. “We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
After being defeated by Floyd Mayweather in May, Pacquiao is next due to face off with Timothy Bradley Jr. this April in Las Vegas.
