TONE DEAF

Greg Glassman, CrossFit CEO, Apologizes for ‘Floyd-19’ Remark After Gyms, Reebok Abandon Fitness Brand

Reebok and dozens of gyms dumped their affiliation with the entrepreneur’s cultlike fitness regimen brand.

Greg Glassman, the controversial chief executive of cult exercise phenomenon CrossFit, has apologized for posting an offensive tweet about George Floyd. His company was dumped by Reebok and multiple gym affiliates said they were ending their association with the exercise brand after Glassman tweeted a message Saturday in which he joked about “Floyd-19”—attacking the coronavirus-monitoring Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation for its Twitter post that called racism a public-health threat. Reebok said: “Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year. 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.” On Sunday night, Glassman said via Twitter: “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. Floyd is a hero in the black community and not just a victim. I should have been sensitive to that and wasn’t. I apologize for that.”