Celebrities, gyms, Reebok pull out of CrossFit over George Floyd tweet

Fitness company CrossFit has copped some backlash over a tweet from its CEO. Photo / Getty Images

Gyms, Reebok and celebrity fans have pulled out of CrossFit after the fitness company boss George Glassman made an "insensitive" comment about George Floyd.

Glassman wrote "Floyd-19" in response to a tweet from the US Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which drew a comparison between health issues and racism.

He continued: "Your failed model quarantined us and now you're going to model a solution to racism? George Floyd's brutal murder sparked riots nationally.

"Quarantine alone is 'accompanied in every age and under all political regimes by an undercurrent of suspicion, distrust, and riots.' Thanks!"

But his comparison of the death of African-American man George Floyd in police custody with the coronavirus pandemic was instantly condemned as racist.

Sports gear company Reebok and several gyms have pulled out of their partnership with CrossFit. Business Insider reported that many posted public responses to Glassman's comment online.

"Wow, this is beyond tone deaf. Thank you for letting your black athletes know how little you care about them," wrote one Twitter user.

According to Stuff, Kiwi actress and former CrossFit fan Anna Paquin said she would have nothing to do with the brand in the future.

View this post on Instagram

You are either a racist or an anti-racist. #gregglassman and #crossfithq have picked the wrong side. I don’t need a brand name to maintain my commitment to fitness.

A post shared by Anna Hélène Paquin (she/her) (@_annapaquin) on Jun 7, 2020 at 1:32pm PDT

"You are either a racist or an anti-racist. #gregglassman and #crossfithq have picked the wrong side. I don't need a brand name to maintain my commitment to fitness," she wrote in an Instagram post.

CrossFit Central Wellington released a statement in response to Glassman's comments.

"While we are considering what our next steps are as a business we cannot and will not stand with these comments or beliefs."