"We do not condone racism" - Gymshark cuts sponsorship ties with True Geordie following Islamophobic remarks

British sportswear and apparel company Gymshark took to its Twitter account to release an official statement announcing that it had severed its relationship with Brian "True Geordie" following the latter's "Islamophobic" remarks.

For those out of the loop, Brian was accused of making an insensitive comment while speaking about Andrew Tate and his recent conversion to Islam. Tate did not hesitate to respond to True Geordie, and he took to his socials to lambast the podcaster.

Although True Geordie has since uploaded an apology video, his sponsorship deals have taken a hit. Gymshark, who has had a long-standing association with the social media star, stated that they would be discontinuing their partnership. The company posted a statement on their Twitter handle addressing the situation:

Will other sponsors follow Gymshark's footsteps by cutting ties with True Geordie?

True Geordie is known for hosting the online sports show and podcast, The Kick-Off. It is easily among the biggest podcasts focusing on sports and regularly features interviews with major celebrities. Several names, including the likes of KSI, Logan Paul, Jake Paul, Ricky Gervais (actor and comedian), and Alan Shearer (former professional footballer), have been guests on True Geordie's podcast.

Regular watchers will know that his show is also backed by well-known sponsors such as Manscaped, Myprotein, and Wash & Go (among others). However, these companies are yet to comment on the recent events. After Gymshark's departure, the other companies will likely follow suit and cancel their sponsorship deals.

Fans share their reactions to Gymshark's statement

Fans have also shared their reactions to Gymshark's official statement regarding cutting ties with True Geordie. Many have commented that the decision was the right thing to do. Here are some relevant reactions:

Not the first controversy True Geordie has been in

In 2019, True Geordie's private messages were leaked on the internet. The DMs were apparently sent to a female fan.

Due to the explicit nature of the messages, True Geordie found himself in a sticky situation after the leaks went viral. However, he later clarified his intentions:

True Geordie was also recently involved in a verbal spat with none other than heavyweight boxing icon Tyson Fury.

About the author

Shreyan is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda, focusing on streamer content. He holds a Master's degree in English Literature, and journalism was the most logical next step for him. Although titles like FIFA 08 and GTA San Andreas acted as the catalyst for his love of video games, the exponential growth of the streaming community also propelled his interest in the genre. He also has a prior work experience of 2 years.

Shreyan considers factual and accurate content to be the most important as a creator and a reader. He ensures this by double checking every piece of information in his articles and sourcing it from streamers directly rather than depend on third parties. His works have caught the attention of the heavyweights, with the PR team of Sidemen (a YouTube group he’s been following since his teenage days) and Chess.com reaching out to him for sending exclusive press releases.

Shreyan would love to drop into the virtual world of FIFA/EA FC and explore it further but, he would recommend playing Red Dead Redemption 2 to gaming skeptics for its top-tier gameplay, story and characters. During his downtime, he enjoys balancing his interests in reading, watching films and sports, and of course, playing video games.

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