Mini last night announced it was pulling all "content that individually features" former U.S. women's national soccer team F Abby Wambach after she was arrested Saturday night in Portland for DUII, according to Anne Peterson of the AP. The automaker in a statement said, "This behavior is against the values we promote as an organization. ... We will continue to assess the situation and weigh our options" (
AP, 4/3). NBC's Janet Shamlian notes other sponsors "haven't said what they'll do" regarding Wambach. She released a statement on Facebook yesterday to apologize for her actions, and the police report "indicates Wambach failed sobriety tests but was polite and cooperative" (
"Today," NBC, 4/4). Wambach appeared in Mini's Super Bowl ad alongside other athletes like Serena Williams and Randy Johnson. Since retiring in December, Wambach also has appeared in ads for Gatorade and has spoken at various functions, including last week's ANA Inspiration Awards. Meanwhile, Mattel in February announced plans to
create a new Barbie doll in Wambach's likeness (
THE DAILY).
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: ABC's Ryan Smith reports the fallout from Wabach's arrest was "rolling in this morning.” USMNT F Jozy Altidore and MF Alejandro Bedoya both released tweets critical of Wambach. Smith noted the Twitter spat "is not the first sign of tension between the men’s and women’s U.S. soccer teams recently," with five USWNT members filing suit against U.S. Soccer for pay inequality. Wambach was not one of those players (“GMA,” ABC, 4/4).
