Jerry Falger Jr., president of Liberty University and a close ally of President Trump, told USA TODAY Sports on Friday that the Nike campaign centered on Colin Kaepernick could lead the school to reconsider its relationship with the clothing company. , who signed a contract last year to equip Liberty sports teams until 2024.

"We are exploring the situation," said Falwell. "If Nike really believes that law enforcement in this country is unfair and biased, I think we will look around. If we have a contract, we will honor it, but we strongly support law enforcement and strongly support our military and our veterans who have died to protect our freedoms and if the company really believes what Colin Kaepernick believes, it will be difficult for us. continue to do business with them.

"But if it's just a publicity stunt to draw attention to Nike or whatever, it's different. We understand that. We understand how marketing works. But they will have to convince us that they are not proactively attacking law enforcement and our armed forces. If that's the reason you're using this ad, we're going to have a hard time staying. "

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The Kaepernick and NFL players who followed his example at the national anthem said they did so to draw attention to issues of social injustice, not a lack of respect for the military. or the police.

Falwell's notoriety and public support for Trump at the start of his campaign placed Republican Party politics at the forefront of Liberty's image.

Trump, of course, clung to the actions of NFL players as a cultural issue he spoke at rallies and regularly tweeted about. Although Kaepernick did not participate in any NFL training in the last two seasons, he remained the protagonist of this event.

Falwell was particularly concerned about wearing socks by Kaepernick who represented police officers as pigs during training with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. Kaepernick apologized in an Instagram article, saying that he was "in danger". they represented endangered communities, but also put the cops with good intentions at risk by creating an environment of tension and mistrust.

However, this image has been used frequently by conservatives and others to criticize Kaepernick's position.

"I did not like socks with cops portrayed as pigs, and I think if Nike really feels the same, I'm sure we can find a company that's just as good to handle," Falwell said. "We just want to know what the company is trying to achieve. Do they try to use their wealth and influence to attack the forces of order or simply make money by exploiting the attention that this former quarterback receives ?

Falwell said he had not seen the full TV commercial, aired on social media on Wednesday and aired Thursday night on NBC in the third quarter of the Falcons-Eagles game. He said that he had seen parts of it during a news show.

Although the association with Kaepernick has generated some controversy, the announcement itself focuses on an inspiring message built around young athletes who overcome obstacles, not protests against the national anthem.

Falwell said he did not immediately know the terms of the contract with Nike that would trigger a layoff.

Nike did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

"It's just something we're exploring," Falwell said. "This could be a marketing ploy and if it is, we will probably forget it. But if it's really what the leaders of society are feeling and they deliberately attack law enforcement and the military, then why deal with it when there are plenty of others.

Falwell, who has reformed the Lynchburg, Virginia campus, largely thanks to the revenues generated by a robust online training program, has been actively seeking to increase the visibility of Liberty's athletics program in recent years.

After unsuccessfully attempting to win an invitation to an FBS football conference, Liberty obtained an NCAA waiver to evolve last year as a freelancer and marked a major upheaval for Baylor.

The Flames will play at the Army on Saturday and will appear in the program for many of the best programs in the future.