Football Fan Loses Busch Endorsement Over Racist Tweets After Raising $1M for Charity

Carson King, a 24-year-old fan of college football, helped raise more than $1 million for charity after he held up a sign at a game asking for donations to his Venmo so he could buy more beer. The sign read, “Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished,” and when the money started to come in, he pledged to donate it to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Busch Light, and Venmo were to match the donated amount, but now the former has backed out after racist tweets of King’s from 2012 resurfaced. The posts have since been deleted. King claimed his remarks comparing black mothers to gorillas were references to the Comedy Central show Tosh.0. 

As ESPN reports, King released a statement on Tuesday apologizing for the old comments, which he made when he was 16. “I had no recollection of it. In re-reading it today⁠—eight years later⁠—I see it was an attempt at humor that was offensive and hurtful,” he said. “I am embarrassed and stunned to reflect on what I thought was funny when I was 16 years old. I want to sincerely apologize.”

In an additional comment to the Des Moines Register, King said the tweets made him “sick” and that they were “not something that I’m proud of at all.” 

While Anheuser-Busch InBev will no longer align themsleves with King, the company announced it will still make a donation to the same children’s hospital. “Carson King had multiple social media posts that do not align with our values as a brand or as a company and we will have no further association with him,” the company said. “We are honoring our commitment by donating more than $350,000 to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.”

The company additionally agreed to supply King with a free year’s worth of Busch Light, but as a result of his tweets he will no longer receive the beer. “I cannot go back and change what I posted when I was a 16-year-old,” King’s apology continued. “I can apologize and work to improve every day and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. And, I am so very thankful for the generosity of the thousands of people who have donated to our fundraising path for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital.”