Colin Kaepernick is back -- at least as far as Madison Avenue is concerned.
The former NFL quarterback, who is suing NFL owners for allegedly colluding to keep him out of the league, is one of the faces of a new Nike campaign meant to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the brand's iconic "Just Do It" motto.
BREAKING: Nike had been paying Colin Kaepernick all along, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now, as he becomes the face of the company's 30th anniversary of the "Just Do It" campaign. pic.twitter.com/uccpDStbq5
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 3, 2018
The new ad, which Kaepernick shared on social media Monday afternoon, features the message: "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
Nike signed Kaepernick in 2011 and kept him on its endorsement roster over the years. The company had not used him in the past two years.
"We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward," Gino Fisanotti, Nike's vice president of brand for North America, told ESPN.
Other athletes in the "Just Do It" campaign include Odell Beckham Jr., Shaquem Griffin, Lacey Baker, Serena Williams and LeBron James.
"We wanted to energize its meaning and introduce 'Just Do It' to a new generation of athletes," Fisanotti said.
Fisanotti said the new version of the campaign is meant to specifically speak to 15- to 17-year olds.
Kaepernick's protests of racial injustice -- which began in August 2016 with sitting and later kneeling during the national anthem -- launched a movement across the NFL. No team signed him as a free agent in 2017.