Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is in the midst of some serious legal trouble and in America we’re supposed to proceed as though everyone is “innocent until proven guilty,” but how far does that adage hold up when a brand sees its $100 investment caught up in a scandal?
The press release for the D Rose 6 was sent out yesterday before the news of gang rape allegations against Rose made national headlines.
At that point major sporting sites already had the photos and the descriptions posted so there was no way for adidas to back track but now as we sit almost 24 hours removed from the reports, is it time for adidas to distance themselves from Rose?
Many people would assume that a lesser athlete would’ve been release by the brand already but just 3 years ago Rose was the future for the sneaker company and their prized acquisition. A few knee injuries later and the current legal situation turns Rose from ‘Golden boy’ to expendable.
We’ve already seen the Chicago Bulls distance themselves from the situation but even the team didn’t touch on the possibility of disciplining Rose. The NFL has it’s policy of punishing players for conduct detrimental to the shield, which means they do not need to be convicted to be suspended or fined. The NBA hasn’t stood by such a policy. Sneaker and apparel brands however have been known to cuts ties to athletes when situations such as these arise.
Jon Jones, Ray Rice and Michael Vick are just a few names that come to mind when thinking of major athletes that are accused of major crimes being dropped by companies.
In fairness to Rose, these remain allegations and not a shred of evidence has been produced to link Rose to this crime but allegations are enough to ruin marketability and in this business world fairness goes out of the window. It’ll be interesting to see if adidas delays the release of the D Rose 6 and then looks at how valuable Rose is to their brand moving forward.
It remains possible that adidas can see this as a way of getting out of a monster contract and not wait for the legal system to play out.
Until then, we as journalist and you as fans will just have to wait to see how the Derrick Rose case plays out.