CrossFit CEO Apologizes for His Offensive Tweet Regarding George Floyd

Greg Glassman, the CEO of a leading workout brand CrossFit tweets his apology following his tweet addressing the death of George Floyd. Glassman spoke regarding the matter in which Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis policeman. He apologizes publicly against his previous tweet and accepts that he used wrong words in that situation. However, the recent statement by Greg Glassman was too short of an apology and came quite late as well.

By the time Glassman realized his mistake, Reebok had already made the ultimate announcement last weekend. The spokesperson on behalf of Reebok clearly stated that they are ending their partnership with CrossFit soon. Following this, a few other CrossFit affiliated gyms also decided to snap all ties with the brand from now onwards.

The story started on Saturday when the IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) put up a tweet regarding the ongoing situation. They stated in the tweet that both discrimination and racism are important issues of public health. Therefore, it is also very important that such problems are responded to urgently. The tweet was followed by the trending hashtag of #BlackLivesMatter. As a response to this tweet, Glassman wrote “It’s Floyd-19.”

Following this, the CrossFit CEO published another tweet questioning the failure of the quarantine model. He added his disregard and hopelessness regarding a good solution to racism as well. The back to back tweets faced severe backlash on social media platforms, especially Twitter. Several people openly stated that Glassdoor’s comments were both unacceptable and highly divisive. Out of all tweets, a must mention is that of Michael Muscato. He is running for the US Congress and currently owns a CrossFit gym as well. Muscato raised his voice against the offensive tweet and called it pathetic and tone-deaf.

Protesters of George Floyd case unhappy

Michael Muscato directly demanded that Greg Glassman should immediately step down from the position of CEO. While on the other hand, the slogan of #BlackLivesMatter is becoming stronger all around the country. Protestors from all parts of the country are rallying up in demand of a systematic end to years of police brutality and racism. So many businesses and corporations are also lending their hands for all kinds of monetary help. They are not just voicing their support but also trying to invest in programs regarding social equality and anti-racism movements.

Following Glassman’s apology post on Twitter addressing the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, several other people have expressed their disappointment. They also state that they will not patronize a CrossFit gym any more in the future. Besides, Reebok has issued an official statement saying that their partnership term with CrossFit is to end by the end of this year. However, they are not considering the renewal of the agreement anymore highlighting the recent events.

In his apology note, Greg Glassman said that he and his entire CrossFit community are very much against racism. However, he apologizes for the wrong choice of words.

He adds that it was his strong emotions and anger in light of the horrific situation that came out in the previous post. Glassman says that he is very sad due to the fact that his statement hurts so many people.