Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao made the LGBT community truly upset when he said that people who are in gay relationships are "worse than animals."
The comment might have cost Pacquiao more than just his fans since sports giant Nike has decided to drop the boxer as one of its endorsers.
"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," Nike said Wednesday in a statement given to USA Today. "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, 37, earlier told TV5 Network: "It's just common sense. Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations? If you have male-to-male or female-to-female relationships, then people are worse than animals."
When he was first criticised for his comments, Pacquiao tried to defend himself by saying that he was "just telling the truth of what the Bible says."
The issue refused to die down, and Pacquiao was later compelled to issue an apology on his Facebook page: "I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God bless you all and I'm praying for you."
Aside from Nike, Pacquiao is also associated with Wonderful Pistachios and Nestle, but both companies claimed that they currently do not have Pacquiao under contract.
"Wonderful Pistachios is not currently affiliated with Manny Pacquiao nor do his views align with ours," Wonderful Pistachios spokesperson Jennifer George said. "Wonderful Pistachios stands firmly for diversity and equality and we proudly support marriage equality and inclusion around the world."
