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news
Quinn Simmons wins the junior road race at Yorkshire 2019 (picture credit Alex Broadway/SWpix.com).JPGUpdated: “Racism is unacceptable” – Trek-Segafredo reacts to rider’s pro-Trump tweet
Trek-Segafredo's reaction to Quinn Simmons' comments finally landed late Wednesday evening UK time, and he has been stood down from racing. Here is the statement. See our initial article below.
Trek-Segafredo response to public comments made by Quinn Simmons pic.twitter.com/ygqYjy8FWz
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) September 30, 2020
“Racism is unacceptable. Period.” That was the reaction this evening of Trek-Segafredo after its rider Quinn Simmons replied on Twitter to a journalist who had asked supporters of US President Donald Trump to unfollow her on the social network with the word “Bye,” with the pro cyclist, who is white, adding an emoji of a waving brown hand.
The 19-year-old American was responding to a tweet from the Dutch journalist and commentator José Been, who had written a tweet this morning saying: “My dear American friends, I hope this horrible presidency ends for you. And for us as (former?) allies too.
“If you follow me and support Trump, you can go. There is no excuse to follow or vote for the vile, horrible man.”
Bye 👋🏿
— Quinn Simmons (@QuinnSimmons9) September 30, 2020
Been's tweet followed last night’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio between Republican Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden in which the president failed to distance himself from white supremacists despite repeated requests to clarify his position by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News.
At one point, Trump urged the group Proud Boys – described by the Anti-Defamation League as being “Misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration,” with “some members [espousing] white supremacist and anti-Semitic ideologies,” to “stand down and stand by.”
Simmons confirmed in a subsequent tweet that he is a Trump supporter.
That’s right 🇺🇸
— Quinn Simmons (@QuinnSimmons9) September 30, 2020
Reaction on Twitter to Simmons’ tweets ranges from some urging the team to terminate his contract, others suggesting that as a high-profile athlete he should be given media training to help him understand his responsibilities, and rare messages of support.
The team itself has said it is taking the issue “very seriously” and that it will make a public statement “shortly.”
Pending that full statement, the team has said to a number of people expressing concern about Simmons’ tweets today that “Trek-Segafredo does not condone comments or actions from its riders that add to divisive conversations.”
It added: “The team will work with Quinn to help him understand the appropriate tone of conversation an athlete in his position should maintain.”
The 19 year old from Colorado signed for the UCI WorldTour team on a two-year contract after winning the junior road race at the world championships in Yorkshire last year, a title he still holds with the category not raced at this year’s event in Imola.
He was a key support rider in the team’s spring classics campaign earlier this year before the season was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, and earlier this month finished second overall at the Tour de Hongrie.
He raced the Fleche Wallonne today, coming home in 135th place, and according to Procyclingstats.com his forthcoming programme includes the three remaining Monuments of the season – Sunday’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege and, later in October, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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103 comments
Go read a book and ask a relevant question. He has been suspended because his post can be interpreted as racist (by the use of the black/brown hand), you know that, which is why you are using the line questioning you have, to deflect from the issue. This isn't about his support of a political party and you know that. If I didn't know better I'd think you are trolling.
I see you've neatly avoided answering the question or clarifying your position.
Please answer the questions.
What did you mean when you talked about Quinn's responsibilities?
Do you think people should have their job prospects harmed because they support a legal political party?
The use of any colour emoji can be considered racist. Read up about it, it's quite interesting.
I did this morning when I saw this blow up and wondered if the emoji was maybe the reason. It is interesting and many connotations could have caused issues anyway , but the majority is you don't use one that doesn't represent yourself. And has he has always used a specific skin tone before, to deliberately change this for the tweet does seem deliberate. (For info, On the iphone the default is yellow and you have to hold then and choose the other required colour. It does default to that colour then so when and why did he use it last if not specifically chosen).
So you are trolling. So the statement is, "this isn't about his support of a political party". Does that help? Your comments about the coloured emoji are the type that I hear from most of the racists that I have ever known.
And here come the subtle ad hominems...
Just Google the ethical debate about emoji skin tone and you will see arguments against white people using white skinned emojis, arguments against white people using the default emoji and arguments against white people using emojis with different akin tones to their own.
You will also see some people describing situations in which a white person should definitely use a different skin tone emoji and should never use their own skin tone or the default emoji.
If you think this is unrelated to politics then ask yourself if using that emoji in a different context would have produced the same reaction?
If someone had asked all Biden supporters to unfollow them and Quinn had posted the exact same reply would the reaction have been the same?
Try to answer the questions this time...
So I don't have to read all your garbage posts, have you written anything that isn't designed to detract from the fact that he is rested due to a post with racist overtones, rather than the twisted statement you made that it is due to his support for Trump or the Republican party? Asking for a friend.
I'm done with this discussion.
The fact you've failed to answer a single question speaks volumes.
You've pretty much single handedly proved the point I was making.
Thanks for that.
Pleasure; I wasn't here to be questioned by somone I don't know and who clearly has chosen to misinterpret my posts.
Simmonds hasn't been benched by the Trek-Segafredo team (which is not the same as Trek Bicycle Co.) merely because he supports Donald Trump. If you think that's the then you ought to read more widely.
He's representing the team when he's on social media. The team, his employer, took exception to it. Tough shit if you or I think that's not fair.
They've only pulled him from some races, not sacked him or sent him to work in a nickel mine for the rest of his life.
The team's actions have harmed his career prospects and reduced his earning potential.
People have claimed to be offended based on their own interpretation of an emoji and a man's career has been harmed as a result. Personally I doubt that explanation.
It would be interesting to see the wording of his contract regarding social media.
Surely his actions have harmed his career prospects and reduced his earning potential. He replied when he didn't have to. He decided to use an emoji of a specific colour he has no previous form of choosing in the past that could easily be interpreted in a certain way, especially with the highly racist issues this week that prompted Jose's original tweet.
I see on the main blog he has issued an statement that he didn't mean to cause offence and apologised if any was caused with the emoji colour. I do wonder that now he does accept that it could have been misconstrued, WHY IS IT STILL UP? Also I wonder if it had crossed his or Treks minds that Jose might have been hounded off twitter over this as well. She apologised about her role in this before she deleted her account. And I doubt journalists would delete an account of almost 10 years at a whim. So just shame there was nothing in there to state for anyone blaming her, please stop.
Nobody knows why he chose that particular emoji, as many people have pointed out it's not exactly a widely known fact that incorrect emoji use has been added to the 'Big List of Offensive Things'®.
I do feel sorry for the journalist involved but she decided to get political on Twitter and it ended the way it usually does.
She posted when she didn't have to...
Yes with people probably aiming death and rape threats at her and her family. Still, never mind, the 19 yo can carry on racing and leaving a post up which he himself has admitted could be seen as racial.
That's Twitter for you.
Would be amazed if Simmons hadn't also received death threats.
Suprised after such a robust defence of apparent racism that you couldn't see how or why it could be construed that way, you don't have a heart to offer up more then "Thats twitter for you"
Are you ignoring my previous comment then?
Twitter is an absolute mess when it comes to threats and harassment. That's been well known for years.
I don't personally believe this has anything to do with racism, if Simmons had used a different emoji he'd still be condemned and attacked.
He's said it was not used in a racist way and Trek have said it was nothing to do with politics so I guess we're both wrong.
'Probably' is good enough for me to be actual fact... or, are you being a bit sensational there with the death and rape threats?
Personally, the guy's clearly been a douche, and on whatever level, his choice of Emoji was deliberate... the obvious connection being that its a racial reference.
So far so good, but I do feel very uncomfortable that Emoji / gif colour selection should be accepted as a possible race crime. Clearly from comments on here, there is still a lack of clarity and therefore common knowledge around this, so its a stretch for me to be accepting that people should be losing their jobs due to emoji / gif selection.
It's not something I have ever considered, and I'm sure it's not something my kids have considered or being instructed on... for me this is treading on dangerous ground.
I'm making educational guesses due to it being Twitter (Rich CB and I agree it is toxic) and these other points. She was fine answering back to items and then even posting the apology out. She is a self employed cycling journalist and her company name was changed to match the specific Twitter account which she has had for 10 or so years. Now the twitter account doesn't mention Private, it mentioned deleted. Maybe there is a setting that shows that, or maybe Twitter has banned her (for what?) but to me she has deleted it. I couldn't see someone undoing that much hard work without a reason more then being embarassed over the trouble caused. I'm sure the truth might come out at some point.
This is a video Sky released about the abuse people of both sexes get on Twitter because they report on Sport.
https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/12086883/sky-sports-unites-against...
Just goes to show; cycling can make you fitter, slimmer and healthier, but it doesn't prevent stupidity. He's only a lad, so hopefully he'll grow up and start thinking.
As a professional rider, his jersey and shorts are covered in team sponsors' logos, ie. he's a mobile billboard for several businesses as well as his team. So if anything he says or does puts that sponsorship at risk, its the jobs of his whole team that are at risk (and this at a time when several teams are dealing with the lose of sponsors (CCC, NTT)). So yes, the team can tell him to shut up or go. And it would be a very odd employment contract that didn't have a general 'disrepute' clause. Especially for posts made with an avatar showing him in team kit. His right to free speech does not apply when wearing his work uniform.
Pro cycling that accepts sponsorship from dictators, slave owners, climate criminals and dubious money men wags it's finger at a silly boy who supports the kind of guy who might fit in with the other team sponsors
Yes, cycling is horribly hypocritical and assists in the sportwashing of some unpleasant regimes and companies, but that is not a justification for an individual or team imitating the behaviour of other offenders. Remember the "other people dope, so why pick on me" defence...
True that but I don't see anyone calling for "those" teams to be sanctioned in anyway.
He has a right to vote for whoever he wants.
Your employer should not be able to fire or punish you for stating your support for a legal political party.
That's absolute insanity.
Depends on the job.
If you're one of the public faces of a company, then there's a high expectation of not bringing the brand into disrepute. I think in this case there's the problem that being a Trump supporter is seen as being more than just a political belief and is tied up with racism and white supremacism which is not really a good look.
He can still vote for whoever he wants, but he may have trouble with his chosen career if he's vocal about it.
The problem with that view is that it is incompatible with democracy.
You can't have a 2 party system where support for one party will see you lose your livelihood.
That's insane.
That's not what's happening here, though. He's publicly supporting one specific person rather than a party and I doubt there'd be any reaction if he'd just put across pro-republican views. The problem is that he's supporting Trump and arguably racist and divisive politics. If he'd communicated some non-Trump based racist or sexist public comments, then he'd be in a similar position, so it's not just a partisan view that's causing the problem.
Trump is the republican party nomination for president and the de facto leader of that party.
If you're not allowed to profess support for Trump then you're, by definition, also banned from supporting the Republican party in the presidential election.
In a democracy you must be free to express your (legal) political allegiance.
Anything other approach, particularly when it is only applied to one group, is a serious threat to democracy.
Nonsense. Votes are private (certainly in this country - I haven't voted in the states). He can cast his vote as he wishes
You can most definitely be a Republican and yet not support Trump. Similarly, you can be a Conservative and think that Boris is a poor leader. You're over-simplifying this and exaggerating what is a marketing decision rather than any infringement of free speech or voting rights. There can be consequences for what you publicly say when you're seen as part of a brand (and wearing sponsorship logos).
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