Under Armour reportedly ousted two executives who are long-time associates of CEO Kevin Plank, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Ryan Kuehl, senior vice president of global sports marketing, and Walker Jones, senior director of sports marketing, were both removed last week, but the company did not give a reason to employees. The removals come as the company conducted an internal review of the sports marketing department’s spending.
This investigation looked at whether the two executives’ spending was appropriate and how they ran the department. This included examining how money was spent at events, gifts to athletes and nights out, the sources told the Journal.
“Per company policy, we do not comment on specific personnel matters,” an Under Armour spokeswoman told the Journal.
Under Armour stopped allowing its employees to expense strip club visits after it came under scrutiny for a culture that was demeaning to women. Staff in the sports-marketing department were among those who at times went to strip clubs, sources told the Journal.
Kuehl was hired in 2009 as a director in sports marketing and was later promoted in 2016. He was in charge of approving expenses and allocating funds for the department. Jones worked for Under Armour starting about a decade ago until 2014, leaving after questionable spending practices, according to people familiar with the matter. He was rehired in 2016.
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