Nike is pulling a new line of patriotic sneakers after former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and others complained it was “offensive.”

The Wall Street Journal reports the company canceled plans to release shoes featuring the Betsy Ross American flag with 13 stars in a circle in celebration of the 4th of July holiday. Sources said Kaepernick told Nike he thought the design was inappropriate because the flag, flown during the American Revolution, came from a period that included slavery in the U.S.

“Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured an old version of the American flag,” Nike said in a statement to CNBC.

According to WSJ, the shoes were shipped to stores but Nike asked them to be returned. The products are not available for sale on Nike’s websites.

Bad look @Nike for these Betsy Ross Air Max. Smdh.... pic.twitter.com/u8Q8IMAUbg — Glass City Pete (@DadudeSHONUFF81) June 25, 2019

NBC reports the Betsy Ross flag previously stirred up controversy in 2016 when students at a predominantly white high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, waved it at a football game against a majority black school. The Grand Rapids NAACP said the Ross flag had appropriated by "the so-called ‘Patriot Movement’ and other militia groups who are responding to America’s increasing diversity with opposition and racial supremacy.”

According to MLive.com, some parents suggested the Betsy Ross flags -- flown alongside flags supporting then-presidential candidate Donald Trump -- were synonymous with white supremacy and nationalism. The school’s superintendent later apologized for the display.

Kaepernick has been a polarizing figure since he started kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality against minorities and racial injustice. The former quarterback led the San Francisco 49ers to two NFC championships, but has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season.

Kaepernick stirred up controversy again when he appeared in Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” ad campaign last year. Some angry football fans responded by destroying their Nike gear or vowing to switch to other brands like Adidas and Converse.

Some social media users are similarly threatening to boycott Nike over the recalled Betsy Ross flag shoes.

Betsy Ross is credited with making the first American flag while working as an upholsterer during the Revolutionary War. The 13 stars were designed to represent the 13 colonies; today’s American flag features 50 stars representing 50 states and 13 stripes representing the original colonies.

According to @WSJ, Nike will not release its Fourth of July flag-themed shoes after speaking with Colin Kaepernick, who says he and others see the Betsy Ross 13-star flag as an "offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery."https://t.co/8xQFe9Tiw8 — Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) July 2, 2019

I am a veteran and I have a beautiful Betsy Ross flag flying that recently replaced it’s predecessor-another Betsy Ross flag. If that offends Colin Kaepernick,that’s tough. I am not a right wing voter but let’s get real. This is too much. pic.twitter.com/uW8N50AOHJ — JackHanson (@hanson_ya) July 2, 2019

If you’re going to tweet about the Betsy Ross Flag, make sure you include this part: “It has been appropriated by some extremist groups opposed to America’s increasing diversity.” https://t.co/k5N5bGhDut — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 2, 2019