Risking his popularity with millions of Republicans and Trump supporters, action star and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is on the warpath against Under Armour CEO, Kevin Plank, over his recent comments in support of President Donald J. Trump.
Plank recently drew the ire of liberals with his comments praising Trump in an interview on CNBC. The sports wear CEO said that Trump was “bold” and “decisive” and is a “real asset for the country.”
Now the actor, who is also a spokesman for Under Armour’s “The Rock Line” of products, is moving to “distance himself” from CEO Plank’s comments.
In a recent statement posted to Instagram, Johnson said he “welcomes” comments from fans who both support Trump and oppose him, but he felt that Plank was “divisive” in his comments.
“Kevin Plank’s words on CNBC, but these are neither my words, nor my beliefs. His words were divisive and lacking in perspective,” Johnson claimed despite that all Plank did was praise Trump’s business-oriented policies.
“The Rock” went on to say he feels that Plank put UA employees in a “situation.”
“Inadvertently creating a situation where the personal political opinions of UA’s partners and its employees were overshadowed by the comments of its CEO. A good company is not solely defined by its CEO. A good company is not defined by the athlete or celebrity who partners with them. A good company is not a single person. A good company is a team…” Johnson wrote according to a Fox News report.
Johnson said that the UA work force is “a diverse group” of people and he feels his responsibility and loyalty should be to the workers, not the company’s CEO.
“Debate is healthy,” Johnson wrote. “But in a time of widespread disagreement, so is loyalty. I feel an obligation to stand with this diverse team, the American and global workers, who are the beating heart and soul of Under Armour and the reason I chose to partner with them.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.