Nike drops Manny Pacquiao in wake of anti-gay statements
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Manny Pacquiao, who is running for a Philippine Senate seat, made the remark in a video posted Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, on local TV5s election site. He also said animals are better than people in same-sex relationships because they recognize the difference between males and females.
Manny Pacquiao’s latest disparaging comments about gays have cost him a contract with Nike.
It may not be the only endorsement 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 diametrically opposed to what I believe,” said Arum, who is promoting Pacquiao’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 statement 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 Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” the statement said. “Nike strongly opposes 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 comments to a television station that was asking candidates about their views on same sex marriage.
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“It’s just common sense,” Pacquiao said in the remarks posted online by the TV5 network. “Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?”
Animals, he said, were better because they recognize gender differences, and “if you have male-to-male or female-to-female (relationships), then people are worse than animals.”
Pacquiao’s remarks were criticized by several Filipino celebrities, and he responded by issuing an apology of sorts. In it, Pacquiao said he was still against same sex marriage but loved all people.
Arum told The Associated Press that Pacquiao is an evangelical Christian who believes that homosexuality is wrong, and that he was trying to win votes in the Philippines, where the issue of same sex marriage has not been decided.
“What he said is completely for home consumption for Filipinos wrestling with the question of legalizing same sex marriage,” Arum said.
In addition to his campaign for the Senate, Pacquiao is currently training for the April 9 fight in Las Vegas against Bradley in what he says will be his last bout. Arum said he could lose some other fight sponsors because of the remarks.
Pacquiao has not fought since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May in the richest fight ever. Pacquiao reportedly made more than $100 million for the fight, and is guaranteed $20 million to fight Bradley.
Arum said he expects some people not to buy the fight on pay-per-view because of the comments, but that others might buy it because of them.
“Instead of promoting a fight with a fighter I’m promoting a fight with a politician,” Arum said. “It’s like of Donald Trump was a boxer and I was promoting Donald Trump when he was running for president. I would be killed by the media for all the stupid statements he is making.”
It’s not the first time Pacquiao has been involved in a furor over gay rights. In 2012 he was quoted as saying he was against same sex marriage because “It’s the law of God” though he denied inferring that homosexuals should be put to death.
The eight-time champion is the Philippines’ most famous person and the country’s most popular athlete. He has represented the Sarangani province in the Philippines’ House of Representatives since May 2010, though has drawn criticism for seldom showing up for legislative duties.
Polls in the Philippines show he is a strong contender for the Senate seat, which many believe will eventually lead him to seek the country’s presidency.
29 responses to “Nike drops Manny Pacquiao in wake of anti-gay statements”
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Youuuuuuu cannot say dat one.
No un-PC free speech allowed.
You can say whatever it is you want, but that doesn’t mean you’re absolved of the consequences.
Why not? Our Repubs say it all the time.
A professional boxer should be boxing, and not playing politics to the world.
But he is a politician. That’s what they do. Talk. Talk. Talk.
Only a politician should talk. Obviously, Manny and Donald are not a politician.
I hold Nike shares. I respect any firm who respects the community’s civil rights.
He did not actually say that gays were worse than animals. What he said was that animals were better than gays
because even animals know the difference between males and females.
Which is kind of an odd statement as homosexual behavior is actually quite common in nature. And gay people obviously know the differences between genders.
Gay?
Did you call them “gay”?
How can that be when so many of them are angry, bitter and resentful?
“What he said was that animals were better than gays”
Clearly what Manny Pacquiao SHOULD have said is that most animals are better than most humans and for all sorts of reasons relating to character and behavior. He did not need to focus his criticism of the species exclusively on homosexuals.
“How can that be when so many of them are angry, bitter and resentful?”
It is beyond funny that a criticism like this would come out of your keyboard about someone — anyone — else.
Bitter by virtue of being deprived of their civil rights for so long, solely because of whom they love?
Yeah. Bitter.
“quite common in nature”
As a power gesture, or as the result of same sex isolation, not unlike humans.
As a “partnering” relationship, homosexuality is a biological absurdity that is only practiced by humans.
uuummmmmmmmmmm do your research… or watch Animal planet sometimes.
That’s because animals wear no clothes, so they can look right between the you know what? Not so much with a human, though. And that’s a good thing that we wear clothes.
LOL.
There are many ladyboys in the Philippines and them wearing clothes is probably not what you’re alluding to.
Gay
We are all happy and gay.
I respect Manny for standing up for his beliefs. Not too many people would dare do that.
336 should realize that what he believes in is also known as pilau, dirty, gossiping on Facebook with no respect and inhibitions towards the other person.
You should realize your opinion means no more or less than his.
angry gays? no make sense.
I’ll stay with angry birds.
Come to Hawaii and hear the many Filipino jokes about them. Yikes!
I respect by hearing and not saying them.
Chee, I tink Manny went forget about bonobos.
Das “bonobos”, Manny, not “bananas”.
Poor Manny. Sound like he went store an’ no more canned mackerael.
His homophobic stance might prevent his entry into the United Sates. Bob Arum might lose this fight at the immigration port of entry.