Hundreds Of Nike Employees Protest Against Alberto Salazar

Hundreds Of Nike Employees Protest Against Alberto Salazar

At least 400 Nike employees demonstrated on Monday in Beaverton against their employer's continued support of embattled former coach Alberto Salazar.

Dec 10, 2019 by Lincoln Shryack
Hundreds Of Nike Employees Protest Against Alberto Salazar

Hundreds of Nike employees on Monday demonstrated on the company’s campus in Beaverton, Oregon, against a rededication of the Alberto Salazar Building, according to a report by Willamette Week.

The protest, which had at least 400 employee participants, came in response to Nike’s continued work on a campus office building named for the embattled former coach of the Nike Oregon Project. 

In November, former Oregon Project runner Mary Cain accused Salazar of physical and emotional abuse, including body humiliation related to her weight.

In the wake of Cain’s accusations, other former Oregon Project athletes have shared similar stories of abuse by Salazar. 

The protestors carried signs reading, “Do The Right Thing” and “We Believe Mary” among others. Nike has been criticized for their continued support of Salazar amid the abuse allegations and his four-year anti-doping suspension levied in September. The company announced an internal investigation into Cain’s allegations. 

The 61-year-old Salazar, along with Houston-based endocrinologist Dr. Jeffrey Brown, who worked closely with the Nike Oregon Project and is also serving a ban, are appealing their anti-doping sanctions. Salazar has denied Cain's accusations.

According to Willamette Week, photos of Salazar adorn the inside of the building named in his honor. 

The report says that the protesters were warned by non-participants not to talk to the media, with flyers threatening termination if strict policies were not adhered to.

Cain shared a photo on Twitter from the protest thanking those who participated: