Fitness footwear and apparel company Reebok has announced that it is ending its longtime partnership with CrossFit after a recent comment by CEO Greg Glassman in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the protests that have followed. In response to a tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in which they said racism and discrimination are «critical public health issues,» Glassman replied with «It’s FLOYD-19.»
Floyd was a victim in the most recent incident of police brutality against a black person when he was killed after a Minneapolis police officer was caught on video kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The death of Floyd has shaken the country to its core and sparked widespread protests all across the United States and the world. Several athletes have spoken out since Floyd’s death.
Reebok will end its partnership with CrossFit after it fulfills its current contract obligation as the title sponsor for the 2020 CrossFit Games.
«Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year,» Reebok said in a statement sent to Footwear News. Reebok’s statement, continued:
«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. We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020. We owe this to the CrossFit Games competitors, fans and the community. What doesn’t change is our commitment and dedication to CrossFitters and the passionate CrossFit community. We’re so thankful for the strong bonds we’ve created with coaches, box owners and athletes around the world over the past 10 years.»
Other CrossFit affiliates such as CrossFit Magnus, Petworth Fitness, Rogue and NoBull announced that they would also be ending their affiliations with the company.
Four-time CrossFit Games Individual Champion Rich Froning also criticized Glassman’s remark in a video posted on his Instagram. «The comments made this weekend only divide,» Froning said. «And at this time in the world we live in right now, we don’t need comments or people to divide us even further. We need to come together.»
