Andy Frisella’s comments put good people in his company in bad position
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
1st Phorm is a bit of a cult, albeit a friendly one. Their products and influence have spread throughout the region and the nation at large. They are used by athletes and gym bros and even nutrition shops across the nation. Almost everyone in this region has seen their products in stores or have seen advertising for their products at some point in their day-to-day lives. Its rise to the top of its industry is noteworthy and a true success story, but its relatively quick hold on those involved with it can appear to be questionable if you choose to look deep enough.
That doesn’t mean everyone in it, though, is bad. I have friends that work at their headquarters in Fenton. I know of vendors that use their products at their nutrition businesses. I myself consume their products, namely their protein bars and their meat sticks. They do a lot of good in the communities that they choose to support, and until recently, they had a great partnership with the country and city police forces.
That changed recently, after Andy Frisella, co-owner of the business who was discussing the recent controversial arrest of Tyreek Hill, made some very controversial comments of his own on his “Real AF” podcast about women officers. Here are those remarks, taken directly from a transcript of the podcast episode in question (and before the lines were edited out of it) in full:
“…There’s a lot of police officers—to be completely honest, especially women police officers—who f***ing try to emasculate men. They try to make men feel like they’re being dominated or they’re being, you know, that they have power over them. And bro, the quickest way to escalate a situation is to do that to a grown man, you know? And that’s why we, you know, that’s why, in my opinion, women shouldn’t be in the f***ing field and police officers. I just don’t think they should be.
Every woman cop I’ve ever dealt with, every single f***ing one that I’ve ever been pulled over by, try to make me feel like a f***ing b***h. No, that’s not a way to deescalate a situation.
No, definitely not.
Especially when you know that if that person didn’t have a badge or a gun, you could punch a hole through their f***ing face and end their f***ing life.
And they’re f***ing talking to you like you’re a f***ing piece of s**t. And that’s where I do see police officers with the black men.
You know what I’m saying? They f***ing talk to them like they’re dog s**t. They f***ing, you know, and like, dude, you know, there’s a lot, I guess what I’m saying is there’s fault on everybody and we need to f***ing fix it because we need civility in society.”
I’d like to be fully transparent and state here that I personally know one of the officers who brought Frisella’s comments to the attention of their union. I commend their bravery for doing so, knowing that there may be some blowback. They did the correct thing, even if it resulted in the termination of a pretty successful partnership, and more blowback from other entities including Club Fitness.
But make no mistake about it: this is exactly who Andy Frisella is at his core. Success does not always equate to intelligence, nor should it equate to respect. I respect a lot of the people who work for 1st Phorm, including some of those who may not feel like they can speak up on this matter. I’ve heard some horror stories from those in the building, and those who have worked with Andy elsewhere. I cannot say, based on what I’ve heard about and seen from a distance, that I respect Andy Frisella. He appears to be the exact kind of person that lets his success get to his head in the worst way. He is also the type of person to spread false claims and facts, but that’s a piece for a different time.
Mr. Frisella does not know my name, and he doesn’t care about my words. He’s too busy leading a very profitable business that, to his credit, does produce some very quality products, and one opinion piece from a college newspaper isn’t likely to bother him that much.
But that does not mean that he shouldn’t be held accountable by those upset by his words and rhetoric, as the Police Departments are doing now. The First Amendment protects his right to free speech, but it does not and should not protect him from the consequences of his words. He did release an apology after the incident, but that apology was viewed as inadequate by others and myself. He said a prior incident he remembered caused him to get riled up in the moment, which is not how a mature adult with several successful businesses should behave publicly. He also claimed that he hosts charity events for police and has given away “collectively, millions of dollars, over the course of our business life” to law enforcement, which is not really a defense of the words he said. Anyone could put money towards something, it doesn’t mean that you respect or appreciate that thing.
He also said that he didn’t edit his comments off of the podcast because of “any heat” that he received… which is laughable given the podcast was up for nearly a full day before it was edited, and only was edited after the officers made the complaint to their union.
The truth of the matter is this… I’ve seen people who have attempted to dismiss his comments, and say “that’s not who he is.” And, no. That is exactly who he is. I admittedly have had issues where it is hard for me to control my anger. I recognize the signs, and I recognize the tone and the body language. At that moment, I believe that he meant every word that he said. That’s what he believes, and no amount of damage control or hiding his comments away will ever change the words that came out of his mouth. Nothing on the internet goes away, it’s there forever.
Also, Mr. Frisella, I have some questions… how many times are you getting pulled over by the cops? Why exactly are you getting pulled over by the cops? Why do you think that having a podcast in an age where people are getting in hot water for their words constantly is a good idea? If you can’t control the words that come out of your mouth, then maybe you should reconsider having such a public forum?
Frisella’s brother and 1st Phorm’s CEO, Sal Frisella, recently told STLToday that he’s looking to repair their relationship with law enforcement locally and nationally. I wish him the best of luck, but Andy may have done some permanent, irreparable damage on that front.
He knows it, too. During his apology podcast episode, to his credit, he did lament on how awful he felt regarding how his podcast affected those in his circle.
“I’m embarrassed that I embarrassed my friends and my family and my business partners and especially my employees who work extra hard to do the best job they can,” Frisella said, “They have nothing to do with what I say. And it’s just embarrassing, and it’s disappointing, and it hurts my heart that I’ve let so many of you guys down.”
We do live in a world where people are judged more harshly than they probably should be. But not everyone has the successful business track record and the platform of Andy Frisella. As someone who is successful and has that track record, he should absolutely have known better than to say what he said. He should be as embarrassed as he feels, and he should know that no matter how hard he works to repair it, the stain of his words will be felt on the very fabric of his company for months to come.
