Nike have cancelled a photoshoot scheduled in London today, Thursday, for an advertising campaign featuring former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.
"The Athletic" reported, citing informed sources, that Nike had studied Benzema's history and concluded the player's past did not align with the brand's values.
Those sources declined to specify which aspects of Benzema's past drove the decision.
Nike said in a statement to The Athletic: "This project does not reflect a wider relationship between the player and Nike. We are sorry that the negotiations reached this stage."
Benzema, 38, had previously been convicted of complicity in an attempted blackmail as part of a sex tape scandal that overshadowed his career with the French national team. The case barred him from representing his country for five years while it rumbled on.
In 2021, the Versailles court handed Benzema a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros, convicting him of complicity in the attempted blackmail of his France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena in 2015.
Benzema began his career in Nike boots during his rise with Lyon before switching to Adidas in 2007. He spent the rest of his career with the German brand, which launched a special boot bearing his name when he won the Ballon d'Or in 2022.
A source at Adidas has now confirmed that Benzema's contract with the company has ended and that he is exploring his options.
Without a club since the summer transfer window after terminating his contract with Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, Benzema has not announced any intention to retire. How long he intends to keep playing remains unclear.