Page 17 - Aruba Today

SPORTS A17
Thursday 18 February 2016

Nike drops ISRAEL
Manny Pacquiao AMBASSADOR

in wake of Omri Casspi having breakout season
anti-gay
statements In this Nov. 3, 2015, file photo, Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi,
of Israel, grabs a rebound during an NBA basketball game against the
TIM DAHLBERG Memphis Grizzlies in Sacramento, Calif.
AP Boxing Writer
Manny Pacquiao’s latest Associated Press
disparaging comments Page 22
about gays have cost him
a contract with Nike.
It may not be the only en-
dorsement Pacquiao loses,
even as he and promoter
Bob Arum scramble to
contain the damage done
by a television interview
in the Philippines in which
the boxer said gay people
“are worse than animals.”
“What he’s saying is dia-
metrically opposed to
what I believe,” said Arum,
who is promoting Pac-
quiao’s upcoming fight
with Timothy Bradley. “I’m
in favor of gay rights and
same sex marriage. I’m
apologetic personally to
the gay movement in the
United States.”
Nike issued a brief state-
ment Wednesday saying it
was severing its ties with the
boxer over his comments
about gays. The company
said it no longer will have
any business dealings with
the boxer. “We find Man-
ny Pacquiao’s comments
abhorrent,” the statement
said. “Nike strongly op-
poses discrimination of any
kind and has a long history
of supporting and standing
up for the rights of the LGBT
community.” Pacquiao, a
congressman who is now
running for Senate in the
Philippines, made the com-
ments to a television sta-
tion that was asking candi-
dates about their views on
same sex marriage.
“It’s just common sense,”
Pacquiao said in the re-
marks posted online by the
TV5 network. “Have you
seen any animal having
male-to-male or female-
to-female relations?”

Continued on Next Page