CrossFit founder and CEO resigns amid controversy over his George Floyd comments

(Image credit: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)

published 10 June 2020

CrossFit founder and chief executive Greg Glassman resigned Tuesday night, saying in a statement he had "decided to retire" because he "created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members" on Saturday.

Reebok announced it was cutting ties with CrossFit on Sunday after a tweet Glassman posted Saturday equating the coronavirus pandemic and the protests over the police killing of George Floyd. "It's FLOYD-19," he tweeted over a post calling racism a public health issue. Glassman apologized for that tweet, saying he "should have been sensitive" to the fact that "Floyd is a hero in the black community and not just a victim." But hour earlier, he had let rip on Floyd in a private Zoom call with gym owners, and that was evidently the final straw. He resigned hours after BuzzFeed News posted parts of the recording.

"We're not mourning for George Floyd — I don't think me or any of my staff are," Glassman told a group of 16 affiliated gyms and staff members. "Can you tell me why I should mourn for him? Other than that it's the white thing to do — other than that, give me another reason," he challenged a Minneapolis gym owner. Glassman also floated a conspiracy theory about Floyd being silenced by a counterfeit currency ring, and others about the COVID-19 pandemic. Glassman also profanely insisted he is not racist and slammed a Seattle gym owner who had published an email from Glassman chewing her out for trying to "brand us as racist" when "you know it's bulls--t."

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Gym owners were threatening to sever ties by the end of the call, which a North Carolina gym owner described to BuzzFeed as "surreal" and "bats--t crazy."

CrossFit issued its own statement Tuesday night calling Glassman's comments "incredibly insensitive and hurtful" but urging critics to be "thorough in your review of a man who is imperfect but sincere in his love of helping others to become better."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.