Nike has canceled the release of an American flag-themed sneaker after complaints from former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the Journal, the “Air Max 1 USA” featured an early version of the American flag with 13 white stars in a circle on the heel, which drew the ire of the former 49ers star.
Sources told WSJ that Kaepernick “reached out” to Nike and informed them the shoes could be seen as offensive due to their “connection to an era of slavery.”
The flag in question first emerged in 1792, and the 13 stars represented the original 13 colonies.