Gold Star Mom Speaks Out Against Nike Ad Campaign: ‘They Owe America an Apology’

A Gold Star mother is the latest to speak out against Nike’s latest “Just Do It” ad campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick for making light of the word “sacrifice.”

Trina Hart, who lost her 21-year-old Marine son Ty Hart when his helicopter went down off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu during a mission in 2016, is blasting Nike for using Kaepernick as its spokesperson for an ad about “sacrifice,” KOIN reported.

The Nike ad, which Kaepernick narrates, features stories from athletes who overcame illness or disabilities.

“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” Kaepernick says.

But Hart said the ad belittles those like her son, who made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for the U.S.

“Everything is your life,” she said. “My son sacrificed his life. Those other 11 men the night my son died sacrificed their lives. I’m sorry, I don’t find any ‘sacrificing everything’ in what Colin Kaepernick did.”

Hart said she wants Nike to use its influence to apologize to Gold Star families whose family members made the ultimate sacrifice.

“They need to fix what they did,” Hart said. “They owe America an apology. They owe Gold Star families an apology.”

Nike had received a barrage of criticism and protests since the company released its ad with Kaepernick, who made his claim to fame in August 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

Fans, many of whom believe that the former NFL player disrespected Americans by refusing to honor the flag, began burning their Nike gear to protest the company’s decision to use Kaepernick as a spokesperson for the brand.

Celebrities and other organizations launched boycotts of the brand, including Big & Rich singer John Rich and the National Police Organization. Veteran actor James Woods even decided to dump his Nike stock out of protest.

The backlash to the campaign featuring Kaepernick hit Nike right in their purse-strings when shares of Nike stock tumbled by three percent on Tuesday. President Trump even tweeted Wednesday that the company was getting “absolutely killed” because of the boycotts.