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Taya Kyle, wife of slain Navy SEAL, has scathing response to Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad campaign
Taya Kyle, widow of slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has a scathing response to Nike's new ad campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. (Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images)

Taya Kyle, wife of slain Navy SEAL, has scathing response to Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad campaign

There was no shortage of controversy after Nike announced Monday that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick would become the face of its new advertising campaign due to his ongoing "sacrifice."

"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything," the ad reads.

Millions applauded the decision, millions more rebuked it. Thousands have even boycotted the company, burning and trashing their Nike gear.

But perhaps no criticism was more pointed than that of Taya Kyle, whose husband was Chris Kyle, the murdered Navy SEAL sharpshooter who dedicated his life to serving on the front lines in the war against terrorism.

What did Kyle say?

Kyle wrote in a scathing Facebook post that the notion that Kaepernick — who has not been signed by an NFL team in over a year after initiating the league's national anthem protest two years ago — is "sacrificing everything" to bring attention to police brutality is "insulting to those who really have sacrificed everything."

She explained:

You want to talk about someone in the NFL sacrificing everything? Pat Tillman. NFL STARTING, not benched, player who left to join the Army and died for it. THAT is sacrificing everything for something you believe in.

How about other warriors? Warriors who will not be on magazine covers, who will not get lucrative contracts and millions of followers from their actions and who have truly sacrificed everything. They did it because they believed in something. Take it from me, when I say they sacrificed everything, they also sacrificed the lives of their loved ones who will never be the same. THAT is sacrificing everything for something they believe in.

In fact, Kyle said she doesn't see that Kaepernick has sacrificed anything meaningful.

It's true that he may have lost some respect and possibly his career in the NFL, but "he gained popularity and magazine covers he likely wouldn’t have gotten without getting on his knees or as you say, 'believing in something,'" Kyle said.

Kyle also noted that Kaepernick gained what is likely a very lucrative contract with Nike over his protest.

"All I know is, I was actually in the market for some new kicks and at least for now, I’ve never been more grateful for Under Armour," Kyle said.

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