Manny Pacquiao lost many fans when he made derogatory comments towards gay couples particularly same-sex marriage. And now, he has also lost one of his biggest endorsement deals.
In a report from ESPN, Nike has decided to terminate its contract with the iconic boxer due to the recent controversy. Pacquiao endorsed the company for more than eight years until the termination.
"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," Nike said in a statement. "Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."
"Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?" the boxing superstar said during an interview with a Philippine local TV station. "If you have male-to-male or female-to-female [relationships], then people are worse than animals."
Pacquiao quickly apologized to those he offended after receiving an enormous backlash from countless people. He said that he is not changing his stance about same-sex marriage ban but he admitted that he made a mistake when he said that LGBT people are worse than animals.
Bob Arum, Top Rank CEO and long-time promoter of Pacquiao, also commented about Nike's decision to cut ties with the boxer. "Nike is in the business of selling its products to as wide of an audience as they can, and Manny's comments were insulting to a lot of people," Arum told ESPN.com. "If I was running Nike, I would have to make the same decision they did."
Pacquiao is coming off a lost to archrival Floyd Mayweather in May 2015. Their fight is considered as the richest fight in the history of boxing.
Next for the 37-year-old Manny Pacquiao is a third fight against the tough Timothy Bradley on April 9, according to Boxing News 24. He is also running as a senatorial candidate in the upcoming 2016 elections in the Philippines on May 9. Many citizens from the Philippines have already expressed their decision not to vote for the boxer due to his derogatory remarks about gay couples.
