'I Had to Pay That Whore': Accusations Pile Up at CrossFit

Ex-CEO Greg Glassman allegedly stoked sexual harassment at the company
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2020 1:00 PM CDT
CrossFit's Founder Runs Into 2nd Big Accusation
Former CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman is interviewed on CNBC.   (YouTube/CNBC)

Former CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman resigned the other day amid accusations of racism—which surprised former employees who figured he'd quit for another reason. Eight of them tell the New York Times that Glassman had fueled a company culture of sexism and sexual harassment: "There was a constant narrative about women," says one, who describes Glassman referring to women with vulgarities and listing those he wanted to have sex with. He "was always descriptive in nature about it," she adds, "bragging about sexual escapades." Among other accusations, male workers rated female CrossFit athletes based on their desirability, and Glassman talked badly about Julie Kelly, a former employee who threatened to sue him for sexual harassment.

"We were in the car and he was chuckling," says Andy Stumpf, a former Navy Seal who worked for Glassman. "I asked why he was in such a good mood and he said, 'I finally finished up with the [expletive] with Julie; I had to pay that whore.'" Stumpf added in a podcast that Glassman admitted he "suffers from the same thing that Tiger Woods does"—an apparent reference to extra-marital sex, the New York Post reports. Glassman's ex-wife, Lauren Jenai, echoes the accusations of sexism: "100 percent," she says. "That happens every day, all day." A CrossFit rep claims Jenai is only trying to lower CrossFit's value so she can buy it, and Jenai confirms her offer of $50 million. "It would be a very elegant solution," she says. "I don't want to see this thing go down the drain." (More CrossFit stories.)

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