Nike has terminated its endorsement contract with Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino boxer made anti-gay remarks during a 30-second interview on a local television channelabout same-sex marriage, which he opposes. Pacquiao referred to humans engaged in same-sex mating as “worse than animals.” The athlete, 37, had been with Nike for eight years. An online petition on change.org urging Nike to stop Pacquiao endorsing its products gathered more than 3,000 signatures so far. Pacquiao has won world boxing titles in eight different weight classes during his 20-year career. In a video message he later posted on his Twitter account, Pacquiao said he was sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals and asked to be forgiven, but said he remained against same-sex marriage, which is not allowed in his home country.

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