As Colin Kaepernick watched from the apparel giant鈥檚 headquarters in Oregon, Nike aired its highly anticipated ad featuring the quarterback known for his social protests during the NFL season opener Thursday night.

The spot highlighting the former 49ers quarterback locked in a grievance with the league aired during the first ad break in the third quarter of the Eagles-Falcons game, which started with no overt demonstrations by players during the national anthem.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Kaepernick was watching the ad鈥檚 first television airing on NBC at an event held at Nike鈥檚 world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the visit were not announced publicly.

Still, some attendees posted accounts of the visit on social media, including video of Kaepernick speaking to a crowd Thursday several hours before the ad aired.

鈥淵ou have to think beyond what you see around you,鈥� said Kaepernick, who hasn鈥檛 spoken to the media publicly since opting out of his contract with San Francisco and becoming a free agent in 2017.

鈥淵ou have to see the future that you believe in and that you want not just for yourself but all the people you see globally,鈥� he said.

Kaepernick鈥檚 deal with Nike for the 30th anniversary of the 鈥淛ust Do It鈥� campaign was the most polarizing issue in sports this week, prompting heated debate on several topics including athletes protesting social injustice and Nike wading into political waters. Some fans responded to Kaepernick鈥檚 sponsorship deal by cutting or burning gear with Nike鈥檚 signature swoosh logo. Others argued the backlash and calls for a Nike boycott showed how debate has morphed beyond how to react to athletes trying to highlight issues like racial inequality and police shootings of unarmed minorities.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 like what Nike did. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 appropriate what they did,鈥� President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox 亚洲天堂 before a rally in Montana. 鈥淚 honour the flag. I honour our national anthem and most of the people in this country feel the same way.鈥�

Related:

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Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

鈥� Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7)

There were no clear-cut protests as 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner鈥� played before the game with both teams on the field and the song broadcasted nationally.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive end Michael Bennett were on the sideline and neither really demonstrated during the song. Jenkins and Bennett regularly have either knelt or stayed off the field during the anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. They have been among the most vocal protesters since Kaepernick began similar demonstrations in 2016. Jenkins stood with teammates while Bennett wandered behind them near the Eagles bench and adjusted his equipment.

Jenkins said he thinks players should shift the focus of the debate away from the anthem itself and back to the issues they are trying to highlight.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a huge need for us to turn the attention to not only the issues, but what players are actually doing in their communities to promote change,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to move past the rhetoric of what鈥檚 right or what鈥檚 wrong in terms of the anthem and really focus on the systematic issues that are plaguing our communities.鈥�

No Falcons players were absent from the sideline and none has protested in the recent past.

The anthem has been a particularly thorny issue for the NFL, especially Trump urging owners to bench or fire players who demonstrate. Players say their message has been misconstrued into something against the American flag or the military.

Kaepernick鈥檚 grievance against the league and team owners accuses owners of colluding to keep him off any roster. An arbitrator gave Kaepernick an incremental victory by allowing the challenge to go to trial.

Jenkins said Nike鈥檚 commercial is changing the portrayal of Kaepernick in the public eye.

鈥淨uite frankly, long after all of this is done (Kaepernick) will be looked at as somebody that changed this sport and changed the dynamics of all athletes in general in our country,鈥� Jenkins said.

The league and players union still haven鈥檛 resolved whether players will be punished this season if they choose to kneel or demonstrate during the anthem. Owners approved a policy requiring players to stand if they are on the sideline during the song, allowing them to stay off the field if they wish.

But the league and union put that on hold after the Miami Dolphins faced backlash for classifying the protests as conduct potentially detrimental to the team 鈥� putting players at risk of fines or suspensions.

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AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and sports writer Ben Nuckols contributed to this report.

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Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press

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