Allstate CEO Tom Wilson set off a firestorm of social media reactions Thursday with a video statement addressing Wednesday’s issue terrorist attack in New Orleans, killing more than a dozen people.
Wilson’s statement anticipated the Sugar bowlof which Allstate is the official corporate sponsor after the game was postponed to Thursday due to the attack. In the video, Wilson suggested that Americans have an “addiction to division” and must “accept people’s imperfections and differences.”
“Our prayers go out to the victims and their families. We must also be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to division and negativity. Join Allstate as we work in local communities across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win,” Wilson says in the video.
Wilson’s words sparked outrage among social media users. The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI is working to determine Jabbar’s “potential associations and ties with terrorist organizations” after an ISIS flag was placed on the truck.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Political activist Charlie Kirk spoke out against Wilson for his comments amid Jabbar’s suspected ties to ISIS.
Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of the conservative magazine The Federalist, suggested it’s time to cancel Allstate insurance plans.
Sports content creator Jon Root spoke out against Wilson and mocked his comments.
SUPERDOME WELCOMES SUGAR BOWL FANS AFTER NEW ORLEANS TERROR ATTACK
Personal injury attorney Adam Loewy not only condemned Wilson’s statement, he also named Allstate as a company in response to the controversy.
Other smaller social media users have voiced their own grievances and plan to terminate their insurance plans in response to Wilson.
“What was Allstate thinking of that statement(?) I just canceled my policy and signed up with State Farm,” one user wrote.
“That limp-wristed Allstate commercial about the terrorist attack is exactly what I needed to know I wouldn’t give them my business,” wrote another.
And one user even called the commercial “The worst, most ill-conceived of the college football season.”
Allstate issued a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the backlash.
“To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all forms. We stand with the families of the victims, their loved ones and the New Orleans community. The reference to overcoming division and negativity reflects a broader commitment to promoting trust and positivity in communities across the country,” the statement said.
Jabbar’s younger brother told the New York Times that he and his brother, an Army veteran, were raised Christian in Beaumont, Texas, before the now-deceased attacker converted to Islam as an adult.
“What he did does not represent Islam,” the younger brother said. “This is more of a form of radicalization, not a religion.”
Retired FBI agents Scott Duffey and Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital that Wednesday’s attack could embolden ISIS, other terrorist groups or individuals who have been radicalized.
“This is a time when ISIS is under extreme pressure and their survival is threatened in Syria and elsewhere. It would make sense for them to double down on their message to radicalize Americans, to get them into action and activate every cell they have. place,” said Swecker.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Days before the attack, a pro-ISIS outlet Muslims summoned who live in the US, Europe and Russia to carry out attacks on New Year’s Eve.
“Oh monotheists in Europe, America, Russia and other Crusader countries, we know that you would like to join your brothers in the land of Jihad, but the paths are cut off for you,” said a translated version of the message . on Sunday. ‘The Crusaders are among you. Their security has been extended and your brothers are being killed.
“The time has come to unsheath the swords and paralyze the horses in their places that Allah loves and is pleased with,” the post continued. “They are preparing for the festival of their polytheism, so turn their celebration into mourning and their joy into disaster.”
The newspaper asked Muslims, or “crusaders,” if they felt safe in their homes as their brothers and sisters were in detention centers and camps, before calling on them to “repeat the attack on them and repeat the days of those who preceded you on this point’. path.”
The attack in New Orleans comes almost two weeks after a suspect terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Germany.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
