The Hornets and Triple-A Int'l League Charlotte Knights joined the NFL Panthers in “severing ties with CPI Security in the wake of controversial comments its CEO made regarding local George Floyd protesters,” according to Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The athletic programs at N.C. State and South Carolina “also announced Sunday, via Twitter, that they were ending sponsor relationships” with the company. The Panthers made their announcement Saturday following CPI CEO Ken Gill’s “response to a mass email sent out by a local nonprofit, Queen City Unity, which called for action in response to killings of black people like George Floyd by Minneapolis police.” Gill in part said, “A better use of time, would be to focus on the black on black crime and senseless killing of our young men by other young men.” Gill later apologized for his initial statement. CPI has been one of the Panthers’ “closest local partners for many years” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/8).
OTHER TEAMS ENDING DEALS: In Charlotte, Erik Spanberg noted the Triple-A Int'l League Durham Bulls and Single-A South Atlantic League Columbia Fireflies also have "canceled their sponsorships" with CPI. It is "unclear how much the various sponsorships generated for the Panthers, Hornets and other teams, though in the case of the major-league Charlotte teams, it’s likely six figures." CPI has centered "much of its advertising around the company’s Panthers sponsorship." Recently retired LB Luke Kuechly "became a popular spokesman for the security company in a series of humorous ads," while current Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey, former players and former coach Ron Rivera also have appeared in commercials (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/7).
