When now-retired CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman made controversial comments about George Floyd and systemic racism, this led to several prominent athletes and brands speaking out or cutting ties with the brand. Now a former employee of CrossFit Inc. has made comments of his own. Andy Stumpf explained that he quit in 2014 due to Glassman and referenced alleged incidents of inappropriate comments to female employees.
Stumpf, who spent part of his employment as CrossFit’s personal pilot, spoke about the “troubling culture” at HQ during the most recent episode of his podcast, Cleared Hot. He said that he had personally witnessed or heard about several instances of Glassman making these comments to female employees. Stumpf put blame on himself for not speaking up earlier. He also said that other former employees did not speak out due to fear of litigation. The entire episode discussing Glassman’s alleged misconduct is available below, although it features strong language at points.
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“This female employee is in a vehicle, mixed company,” Stumpf said as one example. “She happens to be in a relationship with a deployed service member, and Greg inquires about that service member, finds out he is currently deployed overseas. His response to that information, directly to this employee, was, ‘let’s hope that we get to name a Hero WOD after him soon.’”
In the world of CrossFit, Hero WODs are special workouts designed to honor those that sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Murph, the best-known of these, pays tribute to Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who died during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan. Another is Manion, a workout honoring First Lieutenant Travis Manion who died during an ambush in Iraq.
During this episode of Cleared Hot, Stumpf did not name specific people or incidents. He said that he did not want to drag anyone into the situation. However, that situation could change based on how CrossFit HQ reacts. Stumpf is expecting Glassman and Co. to potentially file a lawsuit following his comments. If so, he will name names.
“And I wanna be crystal clear to CrossFit Headquarters: I used generalities in what I was speaking about intentionally,” Stumpf said at the end of the episode. “Please don’t confuse that for a lack of having specific and precise details. I’m speaking up now because I should have spoken up then. …
“The reason this was allowed to happen is because we enabled Greg,” Stumpf continued. “And if the choice on your side of the house is to attack me, let me be very clear: I will burn this motherf—er to the ground in the defense of what I believe and I am unwilling to move an inch on my morals on this moving forward.”
Stumpf did clarify that he is not calling for Glassman to sell the company and give up his own shares after the controversial comments. He doesn’t believe that this creation should be ripped from the grasp of its owner. However, Stumpf does believe that everyone in leadership positions needs to have some “very difficult conversations” about issues, including those involving female employees.
