Oscar Pistorius: Nike and Other Sponsors React After "Blade Runner" Arrested for Allegedly Killing Girlfriend

Companies who had sponsorship deals with the disabled athlete are left scrambling after he was taken into custody for murder

By Josh Grossberg Feb 14, 2013 10:59 PMTags
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No doubt Nike probably wishes they never came up with this slogan.

In the wake of Oscar Pistorius' shocking arrest this morning in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his South African model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a print ad the disabled sprinter did for the sportswear giant with the now-unfortunate tagline, "I Am the Bullet in the Chamber," has been scrubbed from his official website.

Following the lead of South African satellite TV channel M-Net, which this morning pulled its Internet promo featuring the athlete plugging the 2013 Oscar telecast, Nike has taken down a 2008 60-second spot—featuring the 26-year-old double amputee and dubbed "Weapon"—that had been running online. It also issued a release expressing its heartfelt sympathies to all those involved.

"Nike extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families concerned following this tragic incident," the company said in a statement to the Oregonian. "As it is a police matter, Nike will not comment further at this time."

As for who exactly removed the "Bullet in the Chamber" ad from Pistorius' website, Nike's South Africa spokeswoman has since told Agence France-Presse, "It's Oscar's website, it's not a Nike-owned website."

Prosthetics maker Össur also expressed similar disbelief over the killing.

"Össur would like to offer sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, Reeva Steenkamp. As we await the outcome of the police investigation, our thoughts are with all affected parties during this difficult time," the company told E! News.

A statement from Telecommunications conglomerate BT read: "We are shocked by this terrible, tragic news."

Sunglass manufacturer, Oakley, told E! News: "We are shocked to hear the news and our thoughts are with their families. Given that the matter is under investigation and out of respect for all involved, we will refrain from making any further comments at this time."

A rep for French fashion design house Thierry Mugler, which also sponsors Pistorius, could not be reached for comment.

As for the world's major sports bodies, the International Paralympic Committee has also declined to speak on the matter, citing the ongoing police probe.

Per AFP, The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee had a similar reaction, releasing a statement saying, "SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain" and declared it would be "irresponsible and inappropriate to comment."

—Additional reporting by Marcus Mulick and Holly Passalaqua