NFL responds to Nike's Kaepernick campaign

The NFL has issued a statement supporting Nike's decision to make former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a face of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign, saying they "embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game."

"The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities... The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action."

The big picture: Nike's announcement was met with mixed emotions. Shares of Nike fell more than 2% in early trading after the company revealed Kaepernick, one of the first NFL athletes to kneel during the national anthem, as one of the faces of its 30th anniversary ad campaign.