NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre, like many others, wasn’t impressed with Allstate CEO Tom Wilson’s message before the Sugar Bowl this week.
Wilson faced backlash on social media after saying in a video message before Thursday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game that Americans should overcome an “addiction to divisiveness” and instead “accept people’s imperfections and differences.”
Tom Wilson, chairman and CEO of Allstate Corp., listens during the CEO Initiative event in New York Sept. 25, 2017. (Misha Friedman/Bloomberg)
His message was a response to a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day that claimed the lives of 14 people and injured dozens more.
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“Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity,” he said.
“Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win.”
Favre posted on X Friday, slamming the statement while also calling out ESPN for not broadcasting the national anthem before the game between Georgia and Notre Dame.
Former NFL player Brett Favre speaks onstage at the SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV Jan. 31, 2020, in Miami, Fla. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
“I heard: There was no televised National Anthem for Sugar Bowl yesterday. Instead a DEI message by Allstate CEO,” his post said. “Woke is a joke.”
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Many threatened to boycott Allstate because of the message, but in a statement to Fox News Digital Thursday, the company clarified Wilson’s stance condemning “violence in all forms.”
“To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all forms. We stand with the families of the victims, their loved ones and the community of New Orleans. The reference to overcoming divisiveness and negativity reflects a broader commitment to fostering trust and positivity in communities across the nation,” the statement said.
The field before a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)
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Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, plowed through a crowd of people on Bourbon Street using a pickup flying an ISIS flag. He was declared dead after exchanging gunfire with police.
The FBI labeled it an act of terrorism and found some potential improvised explosive devices around the French Quarter and in Jabbar’s vehicle.
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