Under Armour Pulls Iwo Jima-themed T-shirt

By Brendan Menapace

Under Armour has pulled a T-shirt after facing criticism over the shirt's design. The T-shirt, called "Band of Ballers," is modeled after the famous photo of soldiers raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. The shirt shows silhouettes of basketball players raising a basketball hoop in a similar fashion.

According to USA Today, Under Armour apologized for the design in a series of tweets on May 16, saying "Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for active duty service men and women and veterans who have served our country."

Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for active duty service men and women and veterans who have served our country. (1/3)

— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) May 16, 2015

We deeply regret and apologize the release of a shirt that is not reflective of our commitment to support & honor our country's heroes (2/3)

— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) May 16, 2015

We have taken the necessary steps to remove this shirt, and any related shirts, from all retail and ensure this doesn't happen again. (3/3)

— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) May 16, 2015

Under Armour drew criticism over Twitter, with some claiming the shirt was disrespectful to veterans.

@UnderArmour this is disgusting and a slap in the face to my fellow #Marines. "Band of Ballers" shirt? Such a shame pic.twitter.com/BXJASwCCoa

— Anthony White (@AnthonyWhiteTX) May 16, 2015

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Brendan Menapace is the senior digital editor for Promo Marketing. While writing and editing stories come naturally to him, writing his own bio does not.