ST. LOUIS — Many in the law enforcement community are upset and cutting ties with local fitness entrepreneur Andy Frisella.
Frisella is the co-founder of 1st Phorm, a St. Louis supplement and fitness company. He's on damage control after these comments he made during his podcast episode that came out on National Police Woman Day.
“In my opinion, women shouldn't be in the f****** field and police officers," Frisella said in his podcast. "I just don't think they should be. Every woman cop I've ever dealt with, every single one that I've ever been pulled over by, try to make me feel like a f****** b****. If that person didn't have a badge or a gun, you could punch a hole through their f****** face and end their life, and they're talking to you like you're a f****** piece of s***."
These comments came up after they talked about Miami Dolphins' Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill being arrested last weekend. The episode has been taken down, and a second one was put up addressing those remarks. Then, he posted a 12-minute, audio-only podcast episode called "I messed up and I'm sorry."
“Did I overgeneralize? Yeah, for sure, and I do that sometimes. That's the nature of how I speak,” Frisella said. “I said some things on the show on Thursday that after thinking about it, and after having it pointed out to me that I feel very regretful for saying embarrassed that I said it doesn't reflect who I am."
Despite the various attempts to clarify and apologize, both the St. Louis County and St. Louis Metropolitan police departments released statements condemning Frisella's comments and officially severed all ties to Frisella and 1st Phorm.
St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said in a statement, "Female police officers are valued and respected members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Each day, they risk their lives in service to the City of St. Louis. Female officers are at the core of our agency, serving in various roles and ranks — from patrol and detectives to specialized enforcement and senior Commanders. His overall and disparaging comments do not reflect our views or core values and have no place in the SLMPD. We are severing ties with the organization."
St. Louis County Police Chief Col. Kenneth Gregory said in a statement to his officers, "Many of you are aware of the hateful comments made by Andy Frisella with 1st Phorm. His comments were disturbing and despite his attempts at retracting them, we are severing our relationship with his company. Effective immediately, we will no longer be providing services to 1st Phorm via secondary employment, nor receiving donations of any kind or services from them through fitness and nutrition classes. We value all of the members of this department, both men and women, and will not associate ourselves with someone harboring such hate for important members of our department.
Tomorrow, we move into the new North County Precinct, named after fallen Police Officer Joann Liscombe. I served with Joann, who always represented this department with honor and integrity. Her violent death and sacrifice will never be forgotten. We attend the Law Enforcement Memorial every year and never is a distinction made between the men and women wearing the badge. The words used by Mr. Frisella in his rant were violent and unacceptable. We all stand together and will not tolerate such hate against our sisters in uniform.”
St. Louis County Police Association Executive Director Joe Patterson said Frisella and his company have been major donors to law enforcement charitable organizations and Backstoppers.
“We truly do appreciate that previous support, but one of the things I heard from a lot of my women officers, they said,' Joe, it has to be clear we cannot be bought. We cannot forgive him for saying this just because of the good he's done in the past,'” Patterson said.
Patterson said this has been extremely hard for women in law enforcement as well as their colleagues and significant others.
“It's really disturbing for them both, both emotionally and just they feel extraordinarily violated and disrespected,” Patterson said.
You can read the St. Louis County Police Officers Association’s full statement below.
Former and current police women in the St. Louis area called Frisella's remarks disgusting and said they'd never support his business again. One said in a statement to 5 On Your Side: "As a long-time supporter of 1st Phorm, I am highly disappointed in Mr. Frisella’s derogatory and inflammatory statements regarding women in policing. We go out daily, protecting and serving citizens, and we tirelessly try to make a change in our community. His statement is not only demeaning to women but he also compared himself to a “black male” in his dealings with female police officers and in the same breath stated he would punch a hole through a woman’s face if they didn’t have a badge and gun. The violence he depicted towards women is scary and for him as a wealthy white man to compare himself to a black male in his dealings with police is a smack in the face to the civil rights movements calling for reform and change within policing in the black community. I know I don’t speak for myself when I say I don’t care how much money you have 'donated' to law enforcement entities. I will not be supporting such a misogynistic business owner ever again.”
5 On Your Side reached out to 1st Phorm for comment and did not hear back.