A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Colin Kaepernick was watching the ad’s first television airing on NBC at an event held at Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the visit were not announced publicly.
Some attendees actually posted accounts of the visit on social media, including video of Kaepernick speaking to a crowd Thursday several hours before the ad aired.
“You have to think beyond what you see around you,” Kaepernick told the crowd. “You have to see the future that you believe in and that you want not just for yourself but all the people you see globally.”
Kaepernick hasn’t spoken to the media publicly since opting out of his contract with San Francisco and becoming a free agent in 2017.
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted this reaction to the ad:
What was Nike thinking?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2018
“I don’t like what Nike did. I don’t think it’s appropriate what they did,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News before a rally in Montana. “I honor the flag. I honor our national anthem, and most of the people in this country feel the same way.”
Trump loves to be the center of attention, seems like he was getting a little jealous of Colin stealing his spotlight. And around we go.
