// Adidas global creative director Paul Gaudio exited the business on August 31
// He left two days after he a comment of Kyle Rittenhouse – accused of killing 2 people during BLM protests in Kenosha
Adidas global creative director Paul Gaudio has left the business, just days after making a comment on social media in the wake of a shooter killing Black Lives Matter protesters.
Gaudio has served Adidas’ global creative director since 2014.
He reportedly exited the sportswear brand and retailer on August 31, two days he wrote a comment under an image of Kyle Rittenhouse – the teenager accused of shooting and killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
READ MORE:
- Adidas sales unaffected by race row, CEO Kasper Rorsted says
- Adidas extends CEO’s contract by five years
- Adidas HR boss exits after internal racism claims
The protests taking place are response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the same city.
In his comment on Instagram, Gaudio – via his handle @neckbelly – said Rittenhouse was “also a victim”.
“He’s a kid, who raised him? Who taught him? Who gave him a gun?” he wrote.
“Not excusing him by any means… but the adults who radicalised him and enabled him should be punished.”
Adidas has since issued a statement confirming Gaudio’s exit but did not directly pin it down to the comment he made on Instagram.
“We are very grateful for his contributions over his long tenure, including the last six years as our global creative director,” the sportswear giant said.
“Paul’s creative vision, deep understanding of consumer trends, and passion for breaking down the barriers between sports and the arts has played an important role in building our brand.”
Earlier this week, Adidas made a post on Instagram in support of the protests taking place in the wake of Jacob Blake, who has survived his severe injuries.
“We support all players and coaches across sport who are using their platforms to demand justice,” the post read.
“Black Lives Matter.”
Gaudio’s exit comes two months after Adidas HR chief Karen Parkin resigned in the wake of employees calling for her resignation over allegations of racial discrimination.
Parkin, who was also a member of the executive board, had been with the company for 23 years.
She first joined in 1997 as a sales director for Adidas’ UK business.
Adidas has since pledged to hire more Black staff and invest in more university scholarships for Black employees after facing several protests from employees against internal racism.
It has also pledged $120 million (£94 million) to Black communities.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
