Adidas apologizes, pulls ‘shackles’ shoes deemed racist
The sneakers, which feature bright orange shackles, were slammed on Facebook for their connection slavery. At first, the company defended the shoe, but shortly after issuing its first statement, Adidas backtracked.
You know you’re in for a long day when you have to make this statement to the media: “Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful.”
That is part of the statement Adidas sent to media outlets on Monday after reports surfaced that its JS Roundhouse Mid sneakers are racist.
The shoes feature a pair of bright orange shackles.
Although they were unveiled in January, nothing controversial came of the shoes until Adidas posted a picture of them to its Facebook page. That’s when the tidal wave of criticism struck.
“I am a big Adidas fan, but these shoes are just wrong on so many levels and if you put them out for sale in August, I will be finding another brand to wear,” said one commenter (among the kinder opponents of the shoe).
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