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Oscar Pistorius has joined another elite club since falling into legal trouble, as one of the few athletes Nike has dropped over off-the-field issues. Pistrorius' connection with Nike was made the more glaring due to a 2007 commercial with the text "I am the bullet in the chamber", which has been removed after he was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Since then the company has continued to distance itself from the sprinter. Here are the other infamous athletes whose legal woes left Nike hurrying to get away.
Photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
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The best golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, was humiliated by a sexual scandal linking him to various infidelities. A claim of sexual addiction and a momentary retirement from golf forced Nike to distance itself from the golfer.
Photo: Divulgación Internet
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American sprinter, Marion Jones, was dropped by Nike after confessing to consuming and trafficking steroids before the Sydney 2000 games, where she won five gold medals. She spent six months in prison for perjury.
Photo: AP
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Another fallen great, Lance Armstrong, who has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles on August 2012, was also dropped by Nike and forced to resign from his post as chairman of his Livestrong organization. Photo: Peter Dejong / AP -
The sprinter Justin Gaitlin was involved in a doping scandal in 2006 after testing positive for testosterone in a Kansas meet. He was suspended 4 years by the USADA and could not defend his medal won in Athens 2004 at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Photo: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
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Los Angeles Lakers Star, Kobe Bryant, saw his Nike Sponsorship at serious risk after being accused of raping a 20-year-old woman in 2005. The trial ended in a monetary settlement and the charges were dropped against Bryant.
Photo: Charles Krupa / AP
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Having signed Michael Vick in 2001 when he joined the Atlanta Hawks, Nike ended the partnership in 2007 after the player was accused of dog fighting and id not renew it until he ended his jail sentence in 2011.
Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Getty Images
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The University of Penn State has been sponsored by Nike for years, but an investigation by police of sexual abuse against minors by assistant Jerry Sandusky, and the university's cover up, forced the company to remove Joe Paterno's name from a children's center under its control.
Photo: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
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Oscar Pistorius has joined another elite club since falling into legal trouble, as one of the few athletes Nike has dropped over off-the-field issues. Pistrorius' connection with Nike was made the more glaring due to a 2007 commercial with the text "I am the bullet in the chamber", which has been removed after he was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Since then the company has continued to distance itself from the sprinter. Here are the other infamous athletes whose legal woes left Nike hurrying to get away.
Photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
