Mississippi agency says it won’t buy from Nike over ads

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s state police agency says it will no longer buy Nike products, with Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher saying he won’t spend money with “vendors who do not support law enforcement and our military.”

It isn’t immediately clear how much gear the agency buys from Nike or if it purchases directly from the company.

But Mississippi’s Republican establishment is jumping to support the cause, with Gov. Phil Bryant lauding his appointee’s decision.

It’s the latest dustup following Oregon-based Nike’s decision to use former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign. Kaepernick ignited a firestorm in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and social injustice.

Fisher’s move has drawn criticism from the Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

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