Stephen Ross, owner of Equinox and SoulCycle, is facing backlash after it was announced that he would be hosting a fundraising event for Trump that will charge interested parties $100,000 for a photo op or $250,000 to hear a roundtable discussion, according to a Washington Post report.

Ross, who is also the owner of the Miami Dolphins, has been called out by wide receiver Kenny Stills, who continued the movement of kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality last season. He also worked with Ross' sports equality program, Ross Initiative In Sports for Equality (RISE).

The RISE mission statement says the foundation is "a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations."

"You can't have a non profit with this mission statement then open your doors to Trump," Stills tweeted, referring to Ross' foundation.


A source close to Ross told ESPN, among other media organizations, that Ross and Trump have been friends for many years and that he disagrees with the president on racial issues but supports him in others.

"With regards to race, Stephen's record on fighting racism speaks for itself," the source said. "It is possible to support someone on the basis of some things and not agree with everything about them."

Ross was listed as the 192nd biggest political donor during the 2018 election cycle, with 93% of his $452,000 in donations going to Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets.

Equinox and SoulCycle came together to release a statement on the fundraiser, distancing themselves from the man who runs their respective companies.

"We are committed to all our members and the communities we live in," the statement reads. "We believe in tolerance and equality, and will always stay true to those values."

Ross is scheduled to be inducted into the National Football Foundation Leadership Hall of Fame later this month.

ABC News reports calls to boycott Equinox and Soul Cycle ensued on Wednesday following news of the fundraiser. Model Chrissy Teigen chimed in on the outrage and jokingly seemed prepared to offer an alternative. 

"Everyone who cancels their equinox and soul cycle memberships, meet me at the library. bring weights," she wrote.

Equinox responded to the controversy on their Twitter page in an attempt to distance themselves from its owner's values. 

"We want to let you know that Equinox and SoulCycle have nothing to do with the event and do not support it," they wrote in a Wednesday tweet. "As is consistent with our policies, no company profits are used to fund politicians. We are committed to all our members and the communities we live in. We believe in tolerance and equality, and will always stay true to those values. Mr. Ross is a passive investor and is not involved in the management of either business." 

2020-Presidential-CampaignKenny StillsMiami DolphinsSoulCycleStephen Ross