Champion has ended its relationship with Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, days after Mendenhall wrote on Twitter that he didnt believe hijacked planes led to the collapse of the World Trade Center and that people shouldnt celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.
“Earlier this week, Rashard Mendenhall, who endorses Champion products, expressed personal comments and opinions regarding Osama bin Laden and the September 11 terrorist attacks that were inconsistent with the values of the Champion brand and with which we strongly disagreed,” the company said in a statement sent to USA Today. “In light of these comments, Champion was obliged to conduct a business assessment to determine whether Mr. Mendenhall could continue to effectively communicate on behalf of and represent Champion with consumers. While we respect Mr. Mendenhall’s right to express sincere thoughts regarding potentially controversial topics, we no longer believe that Mr. Mendenhall can appropriately represent Champion and we have notified Mr. Mendenhall that we are ending our business relationship.”
Champion is owned by Hanesbrands.
