Nike Rescinds Advertisement, Apologizes to Disabled People

Nike Inc. pulled a print-magazine advertising campaign for a new running shoe after disabilities-rights groups claimed the ads were offensive. The advertisements for the Nike ACG Air Dri-Goat, appeared in several national and nine regional outdoor magazines and referred to people with disabilities as "drooling and misshapen."

"The ad expressed the kind of antiquated bias we are fighting to eradicate," said Mark Kleid, channel producer at eBility.com, a Web site for people with disabilities (www.ebility.com ) that launched the protest Monday. "It is outrageous that Nike and its ad agency allowed such denigrating words to be published," he said in an e-mail.