Allstate, the corporate sponsor of the sugar bowl, appeared to delete a video message from CEO Tom Wilson from its social media after his comments following the Bourbon Street terrorist attack sparked a massive backlash online.
In the message played to fans before the start of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame, Wilson asserted that Americans should overcome an “addiction to division” and instead “accept people’s imperfections and differences.”
Tom Wilson, chairman and CEO of Allstate Corp., listens during the CEO Initiative event in New York City on Monday, September 25, 2017. (Misha Friedman/Bloomberg)
“On Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming the addiction to division and negativity,” Wilson said in the video.
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“Join Allstate working in local communities across America to amplify the positive, build trust, and embrace people’s imperfections and differences. Together we will win.”
The video was poorly received online, with many Allstate customers threatening to boycott the company for its “tone-deaf” messages.
A general view of the field before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Georgia Bulldogs at the Caesars Superdome. (Images by Stephen Lew-Imagn)
The video went viral on social media and was even shared by Allstate’s own social media team on X. However, OutKick’s Zach Dean reported on Friday that the post has since been deleted.
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At least 15 innocent people were tragically killed and dozens more injured in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US Army veteran, plowed into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street using a van with an ISIS flag on the back.
The FBI investigating the attack called it act of terrorism, and found some possible improvised explosive devices. Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene after exchanging gunfire with local police.
In response to the backlash shared on social media, Allstate provided a statement to Pak Gazette Digital on Thursday condemning “violence in all its forms.”
Police investigate a crime scene on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. A driver plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers and began firing a gun in the early morning hours. (Kat Ramirez for Pak Gazette Digital)
“To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all its forms. We stand with the victims’ families, their loved ones, and the New Orleans community. The reference to overcoming division and negativity reflects a broader commitment to fostering trust and positivity in communities across the country,” the statement reads.
