"The Rock" joins critics of Under Armour CEO's Trump remark
BALTIMORE - Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and professional ballerina Misty Copeland have joined basketball star Stephen Curry in criticizing the CEO of sports apparel company Under Armour for praising President Donald Trump.
Kevin Plank, the CEO of Baltimore-based Under Armour, called Trump “an asset to the country” in an interview with CNBC this week.
Under Armour sponsors Johnson, Copeland and Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors. Johnson sent out a statement on social media on Thursday saying Plank’s words “were divisive and lacking in perspective.”
Copeland wrote in an Instagram post she was so concerned about Plank’s comments that she spoke to him directly.
In an interview on Thursday with the San Jose Mercury News, Curry was asked about Plank’s comments supporting Mr. Trump.
Curry, a star with the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors, has a lucrative endorsement deal with the sports shoe and apparel company.
“I agree with that description,” Curry told the newspaper, “if you remove the ‘et’ from asset.”
Later, after the Warriors’ 132-92 win over Chicago, Curry said he “needed to say what I needed to say.”
Johnson, Copeland and Curry have not severed ties Under Armour.
A number of NBA players, including LeBron James, have spoken out against Mr. Trump’s travel ban. James told The Hollywood Reporter this week that “I am not in favor of this policy or any policy that divides and excludes people.”
Under Armour has sought to tamp down the furor over Plank’s comments, saying in a statement that “we engage in policy, not politics.”