UPDATED 6/10, 10:25 a.m. ET: Greg Glassman stepped down as CEO of CrossFit, according to a statement posted to the company's website. The move comes after Glassman reportedly told his staff "we're not mourning George Floyd" in audio obtained by Buzzfeed News.
"On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members," Glassman said. "I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ’s or affiliates’ missions. They are too important to jeopardize."
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CrossFit is facing backlash after its CEO made an insensitive comment about George Floyd’s murder, which has sparked almost two weeks of protests around the world. Now, brands and affiliate gyms are severing ties with the fitness organization.
CEO Greg Glassman tweeted “It’s FLOYD-19” in response to a message from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which said racism and discrimination are public health issues.
Glassman was slammed for being tone-deaf and racist.
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Reebok issued a statement to Business Insider saying that it ended its partnership with CrossFit, in which Reebok was supposed to become a title sponsor for the CrossFit Games after their contractual obligations wrap-up in 2020.
“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 the statement. “We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020. We owe this to the CrossFit Games competitors, fans and the community.”
CrossFit affiliates have also shown their disapproval with Glassman’s remark. Locations across the country have ended their partnerships, including Washington D.C.’s Petworth Fitness, Portland, Oregon’s CrossFit Magnus, and Seattle, Washington’s Rocket Crossfit.
