NKE Nike Inc

By Rachel Bachman 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (October 17, 2018).

Four days after being named interim president and CEO of the embattled USA Gymnastics federation, Mary Bono resigned after a recent tweet surfaced in which she criticized U.S. Olympic Committee sponsor Nike.

Ms. Bono's tweet showed someone blacking out the Nike swoosh on a pair of shoes, and appeared days after the shoe company launched an ad campaign featuring football player Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback stirred controversy for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

The text accompanying the photo in Ms. Bono's tweet read: "Playing in a charity golf tournament raising money for our nation's Special Forces operators and their families. Unfortunately had these shoes in my bag. Luckily I had a marker in my bag too..."

The USA Gymnastics board issued a statement saying it was "committed to taking action when we believe a change of course is necessary and to being responsive to our gymnastics community." Board members say they "remain steadfast in our efforts to fundamentally transform the organization at all levels to ensure athlete safety and well-being is at the heart of everything we do."

Ms. Bono could not immediately be reached. However, she tweeted a statement that said, "My withdrawal comes in the wake of personal attacks that, left undefended, would have made my leading USAG a liability for the organization."

She added: "With respect to Mr. Kaepernick, he nationally exercised his first amendment right to kneel. I exercised mine: to mark over on my own golf shoes, the logo of the company sponsoring him for 'believing in something even if it means sacrificing everything.'" She wrote that she reacted to the use of the phrase "sacrificing everything" while at a golf tournament for families that have lost a member of the armed services, but also said she regretted that she did not "better clarify my feelings" about Nike at the time.

U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland issued a statement about Ms. Bono's departure, saying, "While the situation is unfortunate, we know that USA Gymnastics remains dedicated to the process of finding a new and permanent CEO."

Ms. Bono's hire was announced Friday and word of her tweet, posted Sept. 7, quickly spread. On Saturday, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, the 2016 Olympic individual all-around champion, tweeted her shock at Ms. Bono's tweet, adding, "don't worry, it's not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything".

Ms. Bono's departure means USA Gymnastics is searching for its fourth leader in 19 months. The federation is still struggling to recover from the sexual abuse scandal involving Larry Nassar, the former longtime team doctor who's now in prison. Two previous CEOs, Steve Penny and Kerry Perry, left after being criticized for their handling of the abuse allegations or of the public outcry that followed them.

Ms. Perry and other U.S. Olympic officials have appeared at hearings on Capitol Hill to address issues of abuse in gymnastics and other sports.

Write to Rachel Bachman at rachel.bachman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 17, 2018 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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