State Farm may be a good neighbour, but is no longer there as sponsor for the Los Angeles Clippers, following the release of audiotape allegedly capturing owner Donald Sterling in a racist rant.
Transition CEO Steve Stoute, who represents State Farm, announced on ESPN’s Cowherd radio show yesterday that State Farm would not sponsor the Clippers as long as Sterling was owner. Stoute said sponsorship of individual players might continue, but not of the organization itself.
“I’m telling the brands, ‘Let’s pull sponsorship,’ starting with State Farm,” Stoute told ESPN. “When you have things like this taking place, somebody has to stand up.”
Stoute added that he expected more companies to pull their sponsorship in the next 48 hours.
Sterling allegedly went on a racist rant to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, in audio picked up by TMZ. In the audio that has been attributed by TMZ to Sterling, he’s very bothered by her public association with a number of black individuals, including Magic Johnson, ordering her never to bring black people to any of his games.
According to the audio, Sterling says he has nothing against minorities, but doesn’t want her to publicly “broadcast that you’re associating with black people.” He shouts, “In your lousy (expletive deleted) Instagrams you don’t have to have yourself with –– walking with black people.”
Now, TMZ has released
more audio allegedly of Sterling, explaining that he doesn't think he's racist because he puts food on the tables of his black employees.
