JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is slamming Nike after a report that the company pulled an American flag-themed shoe from the market.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Nike pulled a shoe with a colonial-era U.S. flag after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has a Nike endorsement deal, said he and others found the flag symbol offensive because of its connection to the slavery era.
Hawley in a tweet Tuesday called Nike "anti-American" for the move.
Hawley tweeted: "Nike thinks American flag is symbol of oppression? What planet are you on? Nike gladly allows Chinese Communist Party to tell it what products to sell while building its business around sweatshop labor. Nike is anti-American, pure & simple."
He says Nike should apologize to Missourians and restart production of the shoe.