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Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the Christian, conservative Liberty University and longtime supporter of President Trump, told USA Today Friday that he was debating ending his school’s relationship with Nike over their partnership with Colin Kaepernick. The Nike-Kaepernick partnership has drawn ire from conservatives, who railed against the football player for refusing to stand during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. “We’re exploring the situation,” Falwell told USA Today. “If Nike really does believe that law enforcement in this country is unfair and biased, I think we will look around. If we have a contract, we’ll honor it, but we strongly support law enforcement and strongly support our military and veterans who died to protect our freedoms and if the company really believes what Colin Kaepernick believes, it’s going to be hard for us to keep doing business with them.”
Falwell noted, however, that if it’s just a “publicity stunt” and the company is “not proactively attacking law enforcement officers and our military,” he would be comfortable with the partnership. He also said he had not watched the full Nike ad, only clips on a news program. USA Today notes that Nike currently has a contract with Liberty University to supply the school’s athletic teams through 2024. But even if Nike loses Liberty University’s contract, it appears that it will be worth it in the long run: Since the retailer announced its Kaepernick partnership, online sales have gone up 31 percent—compared to 17 percent in that time period last year.