Greg Glassman, CrossFit CEO, is now apologizing after his controversial tweet responding to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black Minneapolis man who died on May 25 after a white officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes.  

He shared his apology on the official CrossFit page on June 7:

“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. I was trying to stick it to the @IHME_UW for their invalidated models resulting in needless, economy-wrecking, life-wrecking lockdown, and when I saw they were announcing modeling a solution to our racial crisis, I was incredulous, angry, and overly emotional. Involving George Floyd's name in that effort was wrong. It’s our hope that his murder catalyzes real change resulting in a level playing field for our black brothers and sisters. Please hear me when I say, we stand by our community to fight for justice. I care about you, our community, and I am here for you.”

In a Medium article, published the day before on June 6 by Owner of Athletic Lab Mike Young, describes how Glassman openly stated his stance on the Black Lives Matter movement and his thoughts on the racial tensions in the nation during a 15-person Zoom call. 

“I do not mourn George Floyd,” Glassman said. 

Following the call, the CrossFit founder and CEO also responded to a tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation after they stated that “Racism is a public health issue.”

“It’s FLOYD-19,” Glassman commented. 

Reebok, as well as some of the athletes partnered with the CrossFit brand, has now cut ties with the fitness company following his comments. 

“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,” the sportswear corporation said.

BET has been covering every angle of George Floyd’s death in police custody, other social justice cases and the subsequent aftermath and protests. For our continuing coverage, click here.