'For Me, It's Not Worth Selling Your Soul'; Bay Gym Owner's Angry Response To CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman's George Floyd Tweet
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- An apology is not enough for angry Bay Area Crossfit gym franchise owners after Founder and CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman posted an insensitive tweet about George Floyd.
Glassman apologized for the tweet about Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police, saying that he "made a mistake by the words I chose." But he also angered franchise owners on a followup Zoom call where he told them he didn't stand with Floyd.
Sports gear maker Reebok announced over the weekend it was ending its partnership with CrossFit following the tweet. Many gym owners are also pulling their affiliation with the national brand.
Among them is the owner of One World Self Defense and Fitness in Union City.
"For me, it's not worth selling your soul," said owner Brad Medeiros, whose wife is African-American. "We live 'Black Lives Matter.' We have two children -- We have a son that I literally fear for everyday. I don't know what's going to happen with him just driving around town."
Baker Street Advertising Creative Director Bob Dorfman was also critical of Glassman.
"You think the head of this company could read the room a little better," Dorfman told KPIX 5. "There is no room for hedging right now, you have to be definitive, you have to make a statement and you have to show what side you are on."
South Bay Crossfit member Esther Mvula says she will continue her workouts even if the name is not longer on the gym.
"It about the culture (of her gym)," she said. "It's about the friends and the family that actually I have now thanks to Crossfit. It's not about him (Glassman)."
Medeieros said he simply can't accept Glassman's apology.
"It's hard for me to accept that apology," he said. "I think like a lot of people they apologize once they get caught doing something. Only because they got caught."
By Tuesday night, the uproar over Glassman's tweet and comments on the company's Zoom call led to the CEO announcing his resignation from the company he founded.
"I'm stepping down as CEO of CrossFit, Inc., and I have decided to retire," Glassman said on Tuesday. "On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its member. I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ's or affiliates' missions. They are too important to jeopardize."
