Recall: Men's "Air Face Up" Basketball Shoes Recalled by NIKE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 1998 Release # 99-014

Company Phone Number: (800) 344-6453 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052

CPSC, NIKE Announce Recall of Men's "Air Face Up" Basketball Shoes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), NIKE USA Inc., of Beaverton, Ore., is recalling about 350,000 pairs of men's basketball shoes sold under the name "Air Face Up." The basketball shoes have a small, decorative metal rivet located on the outside of the shoe that can bend and form a sharp edge.

NIKE has received about 35 reports of high school and college age basketball players receiving cuts to the lower legs, including two reports of players requiring stitches.

The NIKE Air Face Up men's basketball shoes being recalled are model numbers 830080, 139358 and 630327. The model number is located on the label on the inside tongue of the shoe, above the UPC code. The shoe is a mid-cut men's basketball shoe that comes in multiple color combinations. The shoe has a visible window, about 2 inches long, in the heel of the shoe. The words "NIKE AIR" are on the outside tongue of the shoe. The word "TEAM" is on the back of the shoe.

Major athletic shoe stores and department stores nationwide sold the NIKE Air Face Up basketball shoes from June 1998 through October 1998 for about $85.

Consumers should stop using these basketball shoes and should immediately return them to the store where purchased to receive a substitute product or a store credit. For more information about the recall, consumers should call NIKE at (800) 344-6453 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.