Founder and CEO of a leading workout brand CrossFit resign from the organization following his racist remarks regarding the death of George Floyd. Glassman ended his twenty-year term after a lengthy tirade in a Zoom call. In this way, he communicated with all his associates and employees before bidding a farewell. During the Zoom call, Glassman clearly expressed his thoughts about the existence of systemic racism. He added that none of the staff members at CrossFit were mourning the death of George Floyd, and there were several other conspiracy theories included in the scenario. He shared other wild information about the spreading pandemic as well.
According to the reports of the New York Times, CrossFit executive David Castro will now take over the position of Greg Glassman. The troubles started following the former CEO on last Saturday when he made certain derogatory remarks on a Twitter post protesting the killing of George Floyd.
It's FLOYD-19.
— Greg Glassman (@CrossFitCEO) June 6, 2020
Glassman wrote “It’s FLOYD-19” following which he had to face severe backlash from thousands of people. Moreover, most of his partner organizations including Reebok ended all ties with CrossFit after this remark. In his tweet reply, Glassman clearly expresses that racism in America is nothing but a public health crisis.
CrossFit, on behalf of the former CEO also issued an apology stating that the previous statement was not a racist one. However, they accepted that Glassman’s remark was a mistake for sure.
.@CrossFitCEO: "I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by 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.
— CrossFit (@CrossFit) June 8, 2020
According to other news sources, in a meeting before his stupid remarks, he had made another mistake. In a video conference with CrossFit affiliated gym owners, he clearly said that neither he nor any of his staff was mourning George Floyd’s death. He also said that there was no valid reason to mourn for such an incident.
Greg Glassman paying for his mistakes
The gym owners were upset after the ranting session. As a result, everyone became so angry following Glassman’s Twitter comment. Besides, the former CEO did not just stop at saying that he was finding no reason for the protest. He went on to question the source of motivation for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Moreover, he said that he did not believe that a term such as ‘systemic racism’ even exists.
Glassman quoted that “It’s really neat to have a problem that can’t be defined because then it never ends. You know you can always wear it proudly.” Later, on Tuesday he issued a statement saying that his comments had created a serious rift in the CrossFit community. Therefore, he decides to step down from his position because he does not want anything to harm the missions of the affiliates or the HQs. They are too crucial for any kind of jeopardizing.
According to sources, Greg Glassman was constantly hosting video calls with gym owners to keep a check on all the businesses that were closed down temporarily. On Saturday also, more than a dozen affiliates and gym owners were present during the video conference. They also urged Glassman to state the horrific murder of George Floyd by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They wanted him to stand by the #BlackLivesMatter Movement.
