Before Pacquiao: Nike also dropped Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius due to controversy

Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao has joined Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius as star athletes dropped by sports brand Nike following their involvement in controversial issues.

The shoe and clothing company on Thursday cut its ties with Pacquiao, who angered the LGBT community after he called gay couples "worse than animals" for engaging in homosexual relations.

The boxer later apologized for his remark and said he was not condemning anyone, only "telling the truth of what the Bible says," but that did not stop Nike from terminating their endorsement deal.

"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," the company said in a statement. "Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."

A global sports icon, Pacman has worn Nike's trademark swoosh in his gear for more than eight years.

"Pacquiao was more of a billboard for Nike, which had its swoosh on his shorts for fights and on his shoes, instead of a true revenue stream. Few Pacquiao items reached the market," wrote Darren Rovell in a report on ESPN.

After Nike severed their relationship, Pacquiao followed the footsteps of fellow star athletes Armstrong and Pistorius as ex-endorsers of the brand.

Armstrong was associated with Nike for nine years before the company axed him for his involvement in a doping scandal. The former champion cyclist admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in seven Tour de France victories, shaking the sports world in 2012.

"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him," the company said in a statement.

Pistorius, meanwhile, got the boot from Nike following his arrest and trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. The model was shot to death in his South African home.

The Paralympic champion sprinter's contract was earlier suspended by the company with the ongoing investigation, but it was later terminated for good. —Marisse Panaligan/JST, GMA News