Earlier this year, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao made a few comments on the LGBT community that eventually landed him in a lot of trouble. The controversial opinion expressed by the boxer compared gay people to animals.
However, in more recent news, Pacquiao admitted that while he regretted the comparison he had earlier dished out, he still stood by the Bible's views on homosexuality.
Speaking to TMZ, the boxer explained that he could have handled things in a better manner, but his belief on the matter was concerned with the Bible's preachings.
"I'm not changing my position to what the Bible says. My mistake is comparing them to animals. I'm just human, nobody's perfect," Pacquiao reportedly stated.
The controversy all began with a video of Pacquiao that went viral. The video showcased the boxer's views on gay people and on same-sex marriage.
"It's common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals," he is seen stating.
Among the furore, several activist groups called for Pacquiao's sponsors to terminate their association with him. Consequently, Nike, which was one of the boxer's biggest sponsors, dropped him off from their list of athletes who enjoy corporate funding.
The New York times reported that back in February, Nike had issued a statement, "We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao."
Interestingly, the TMZ interview was not the first time that Pacquiao had apologized for his controversial comments. As Christian Post reports, the boxer had apologised around six months earlier, in a post on social media.
He posted a video on Instagram apologizing for his behavior, and captioned it, "I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my belief that I'm against same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I'm praying for you."