HEYDUDE reviews tour stops after backlash over UF fraternity post
The company said it was unaware of allegations against two former Theta Chi members when planning its Tailgate Tour. The promotional post remained online Friday morning.
HEYDUDE said it would re-evaluate future stops on its Tailgate Tour after a collaborative Instagram post with the University of Florida’s Theta Chi chapter drew criticism. The shoe company told WIRED it was unaware of allegations against two former chapter members when the tour was planned.
The post, published on 25 September, showed fraternity members wearing orange-and-blue shoes. HEYDUDE said it had no affiliation, sponsorship or ongoing partnership with the chapter, and described the post as part of a tour visiting locations including fraternity and sorority houses.
Former Theta Chi members Kamran Ahmed and Brendan Pitfield face sexual cyberharassment charges over the alleged dissemination of a nonconsensual intimate video of Maddie Kowalski, then a 19-year-old student. The allegations have not been established in court. Pitfield has pleaded not guilty, and Kowalski is also suing both men.
The charges and WIRED’s reporting have drawn criticism on campus and online. Kowalski told WIRED that she and her mother emailed HEYDUDE seeking an explanation for the collaboration but received no response.
A Theta Chi spokesperson told WIRED that Ahmed and Pitfield are no longer members. The fraternity said it would support the maximum penalty under the law and the students’ permanent expulsion from the university if they are found guilty. The HEYDUDE post was still online Friday morning.
