
CarMax pulls sponsorship deal with Clippers after alleged Sterling comments
Auto dealer CarMax pulled its sponsorship of
the Los Angeles Clippers Monday in the wake of a firestorm of
controversy over alleged racist remarks from team owner Donald Sterling.
In a statement from CarMax spokeswoman Catherine Gryp:
CarMax
finds the statements attributed to the Clippers' owner completely
unaccetable. These views directly conflict with CarMax's culture of
respect for all individuals. While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor
for 9 years and support the team, fans, and community, these statements
necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship.
Meanwhile,
Steve Stoute, the head of marketing firm Translation, which represents
major Clippers sponsor State Farm Insurance, visited with ESPN Radio
Monday and said he was advising his clients to cut ties. From the Big
Lead:
Steve Stoute, the CEO of Translation – a
marketing firm with State Farm as a client – went on Colin Cowherd's
ESPN radio show Monday and said “what I'm going to do … I'm telling the
brands that I represent, ‘let's pull sponsorship.'” Stoute went on to
say, “State Farm is pulling out, and other brands are pulling out. We're
going to start seeing it over the next 48 hours.” State Farm has not
officially announced anything yet.
via State Farm May Pull Sponsorship from LA Clippers Because of Donald Sterling | The Big Lead.
Sponsorpitch.com lists
a number of other Clippers sponsors including Amtrak, Anheuser-Busch,
and Yokohama. This post will update with any developments.
Sterling has faced widespread outrage and denouncement over the comments which were leaked to TMZ. Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that the league hopes to finish its investigation before Game 5 of the Clippers' series vs. Golden State at Staples Center.
The Clippers released a vague, slight kind-of-denial Saturday night.