Hatchet Athletics in Huntsville is dropping their affiliation with CrossFit after the company’s founder and CEO Greg Glassman posted a tweet relating the police killing of George Floyd to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Glassman tweeted, “It’s FLOYD-19,” in response to a post from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that identified racism as a public health issue. Glassman’s comment about Floyd, who was a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25, drew wide criticism with many calling his response racist and insensitive. Hatchet Athletics, formerly known as CrossFit Hatchet, announced their decision to cut ties with CrossFit in a public statement on Facebook, describing CrossFit headquarter’s response to the Black Lives Matter and anti-racism movement as “disturbing.” Owner and head coach Mitchell Friend said that their core values as a gym no longer align with CrossFit.
“We can not associate ourselves with a brand that doesn’t value all humans,” Friend said. “We are proud to de-affiliate. We will continue to provide the same programming, support and community we are known for, just under a new name. We are excited to start our new journey as Hatchet Athletics.”
Hatchet Athletics is one of many gyms across North America that have dropped their affiliation with CrossFit. Reebok also ended their partnership with the company, stating that “in light of recent events” the company decided to scrap the new agreement they had been negotiating. Glassman issued a statement in response to the backlash on June 7.
“I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism,” Glassman said on Twitter. “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.”
To read Hatchet Athletics’ statement, click here.
