【Dear Utol (2025): Binyag Episode 43】

First NBA star Steph Curry. Then badass ballerina Misty Copeland. Now ... The Dear Utol (2025): Binyag Episode 43Rock.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank started quite a fire with some of his company's most prominent business partners by praising Donald Trump.

After Plank called Trump a "real asset to the country" on Tuesday, backlash from consumers online was vehement.

Then it got worse for Plank.

On Wednesday, Curry said he agreed with Plank -- "if you remove the et." He also said he wouldn't be afraid to walk away from his major Under Armour endorsement contract if he felt he had no other moral option. On Thursday, Copeland -- the first black principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre -- posted her own powerful rebuttal of Plank's praise.

Copeland, and especially Curry, are high-profile Under Armour partners. Meanwhile, The Rock -- also known as Dwayne Johnson -- signed his own deal with the company in 2015.

Now you can count him among those turned off by Plank's praise. In an Instagram post, Johnson shared a powerful statement in which he said Plank's "words were divisive and lacking in perspective."

View this post on Instagram

Here's Johnson's full caption, chopped into sections for easier reading. First, he said Plank represents "neither my words, nor my beliefs."

I appreciate and welcome the feedback from people who disagree (and agree) with Kevin Plank's words on CNBC, but these are neither my words, nor my beliefs. His words were divisive and lacking in perspective. Inadvertently creating a situation where the personal political opinions of UA’s partners and its employees were overshadowed by the comments of its CEO.

Then Johnson gave a quick business seminar.

A good company is not solely defined by its CEO. A good company is not defined by the athlete or celebrity who partners with them. A good company is not a single person. A good company is a team, a group of brothers and sisters committed to working together each and every day to provide for their families and one another and the clients they serve.

Then he said he partners "with brands I trust and with people who share my same values."

We don’t partner with a brand casually. I partner with brands I trust and with people who share my same values. That means a commitment to diversity, inclusion, community, open-mindedness and some serious hard work. But it doesn't mean that I or my team will always agree with the opinion of everyone who works there, including its executives. Great leaders inspire and galvanize the masses during turbulent times, they don't cause people to divide and disband.

Finally, he seemed to imply that he would stick with his Under Armour deal -- but not out of loyalty to Plank himself.

My responsibility here is not only to the global audience we serve, but also to the thousands of workers who pour blood, sweat, and tears into making Under Armour strong. A diverse group of hardworking men and women who possess integrity, respect and compassion for one another and the world they live in. Debate is healthy. But in a time of widespread disagreement, so is loyalty. I feel an obligation to stand with this diverse team, the American and global workers, who are the beating heart and soul of Under Armour and the reason I chose to partner with them.

Then (of course) he ended it with a hashtag.

My commitment is as real as my sweat and callouses that thicken daily. #CommittedToThePeople

That, to borrow a phrase, is how you lay the smack down with poise and grace.