Reebok announced that it will end its association with CrossFit after CrossFit’s Founder and CEO Greg Glassman equated the police killing of a black man to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ,” Reebok said in a statement on Sunday. “We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020.”
Reebok has a 10-year exclusive deal as title sponsor of the CrossFit Games and is the sole licensee of CrossFit apparel and shoes. The arrangement was set to expire after this year’s Games.
In response to a tweet by research firm Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that classified racism and discrimination as a public health issue, Glassman tweeted “It’s FLOYD-19.” referencing the killing of black man George Floyd, whose death in police custody has sparked the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement.
The comments caused a huge uproar among Crossfit-affiliated gym owners, Crossfit stars and other sponsors.
Rogue Fitness, an official supplier of the CrossFit Games, said it was working to “determine the best path forward” and Glassman’s comments were “unacceptable under all conditions”.
On Sunday night, CrossFit shared an apology from Glassman on Twitter.
“I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake with the words I chose yesterday. My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake. Floyd is a hero in the black community and not just a victim. I should have been sensitive to that and wasn’t. I apologize for that. I was trying to stick it to the @IHME_UW for their invalidated models resulting in needless, economy-wrecking, life-wrecking lockdown, and when I saw they were announcing modeling a solution to our racial crisis, I was incredulous, angry and overly emotional. Involving George Floyd’s name in that effort was wrong.”
Photo courtesy CrossFit
