A man who’s been called a hero for helping to raise over $1 million for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City is now apologizing for some racist tweets that resurfaced.
On Sept. 14, 24-year-old Carson King appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay for its coverage of a matchup between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Iowa Hawkeyes. King was in the crowd at the time and held up a sign that read “Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished.” He included his Venmo username as well.
Later, King would say the sign was just a joke, but it didn’t matter. Because people started sending him money to purchase more beer. And once the amount swelled to $600, he sent a tweet that said the funds would be donated to Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
His tweet eventually went viral, and several companies said they’d also donate money. And as of Tuesday, the amount ballooned to $1.14 million, according to King.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Busch Light’s parent company, and Venmo became aware of the donation as well, and both companies said they’d match whatever King gave.
Anheuser-Busch InBev also said they’d give King free beer for an entire year and would produce cans with his face on them in the future.
But everything changed after a reporter at The Des Moines Register found the racist tweets that were written in 2012 when King was 16 years old. Both have since been deleted, but one tweet compared “black mothers to gorillas” and another made “light of black people killed in the holocaust.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Tuesday that it would no longer be working with King, but it would still donate the funds.
“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 in a statement. “We are honoring our commitment by donating more than $350,000 to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.”
King also addressed the tweets and said he doesn’t remember sending them.
“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 in a statement. “I am embarrassed and stunned to reflect on what I thought was funny when I was 16 years old. I want to sincerely apologize.”
“I cannot go back and change what I posted when I was a 16-year-old,” added King. “I can apologize and work to improve every day and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
King also said the tweets are a quote from the Comedy Central show “Tosh.0.”
After news that Anheuser-Busch InBev cut ties with King, many on social media said he received unfair treatment, and they didn’t believe the racist tweets should’ve gotten him in trouble.
Moreover, Geneseo Brewing Company out of Illinois said it would be naming a new pilsner called “Iowa Legend” in King’s name, and the Head Brewer Glenn Cole said his staff is “appalled” that King received such backlash.
And ironically, the reporter who located King’s old messages has also been criticized after some of his own tweets considered inappropriate resurfaced. Reportedly, The Des Moines Register is now launching an internal investigation of that reporter.
