Nike Yanks Betsy Ross Flag-Themed Shoes After Kaepernick’s Opposition

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick shakes hands with fans after the 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 31-21 during an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
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Nike is recalling scores of Fourth of July-themed sneakers featuring the Betsy Ross version of the American flag after former NFL player Colin Kaepernick said that they harken back to an era of slavery.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the shoes had already been shipped to retailers when Nike called them back.

The NAACP says that the Ross flag has been appropriated by some white nationalist groups as a protest against America’s increasing diversity.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) responded angrily to the company’s decision Tuesday morning, saying that he’d withdraw financial incentives for a Nike manufacturing plant scheduled to open outside of Phoenix.

“Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike,” he said in the multiple-tweet statement. “We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) quickly hopped aboard the bandwagon.

Nike made Kaepernick the face of an ad campaign last year amid his fighting with the NFL over his national anthem protests.

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