FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, former NFL football quarterback Colin Kaepernick attends the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal ceremonies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Kaepernick was among eight recipients of Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Medals in 2018. A person with knowledge of the conversation tells The Associated Press that the new Alliance of American Football spoke with Kaepernick during its development about joining the league. But Kaepernick wanted $20 million or more to consider playing with the league that had its debut last weekend. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because neither side has publicly acknowledged such talks. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)Steven Senne/Associated Press

Donald Trump Jr. Posts Nike, Soviet Union Meme Amid Colin Kaepernick Controversy

Tim DanielsJul 3, 2019

Donald Trump Jr., the son of United States President Donald Trump, posted a picture on social media Wednesday featuring a Nike shoe with the colors and hammer from the former Communist Party of the Soviet Union flag.

The meme comes one day after the New York Times reported Nike canceled the planned release of a shoe featuring the 13-star American flag, which was going to commemorate the Revolutionary War and flag seamstress Betsy Ross, following an objection from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

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"Mr. Kaepernick, who signed a lucrative deal to serve as a Nike brand ambassador last year, expressed the concern to the company that the Betsy Ross flag had been co-opted by groups espousing racist ideologies," the New York Times report noted.

"We regularly make business decisions to withdraw initiatives, products and services. Nike made the decision to halt distribution of the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation's patriotic holiday," the company said in a statement to CBS News.

Kaepernick, who started the trend of athletes kneeling during the national anthem in August 2016 in protest against racial injustice, has remained a free agent since being released by the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017. He filed a collusion grievance against the league and reached a confidential settlement in February.

Donald Trump has criticized the quarterback's actions in the past, saying the NFL should have suspended him for kneeling during the anthem.

The president also previously condemned Nike's use of Kaepernick as an ambassador but hasn't commented on the latest controversy.