Chicago Car Salesman Canned For Wearing Packer Tie

Heard about this yesterday, but I was waiting for the video to pop up... John Stone, who worked as a car salesman for Webb Chevrolet in Suburban Chicago, was fired after working there a little over a month and sold 14 cars for wearing a Green Bay Packers tie. Here's some of the owner Jerry Roberts' reasoning for cutting Stone loose:

"If he loves the tie more than his job, he's welcome to keep wearing it -- elsewhere," Roberts said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Roberts says the dealership has done promotions involving the Bears and he was afraid the tie could alienate the team's fans and make it harder to sell cars.

"We spend $20,000 a month on advertising with the Bears on WBBM during the season, and we have Bears players including Corey Wootton driving loaner vehicles, and here was a salesman openly undoing that work," Roberts said, according to the Sun-Times.

I have to call BS on that excuse, especially since Roberts offered Stone his job back according to the report...

Stone is a father of two who had worked at the dealership for a month and a half, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He said that he has been a Packers fan since he saw running back Ahman Green play.

"I liked the way he played, and I liked Brett Favre before he left, and I love Aaron Rodgers, the coaching staff -- the whole organization," he said, according to the newspaper.

Roberts told the newspaper that Stone was a good salesman who sold 14 cars last month and that no customers had complained about the tie. Stone agreed.

"I was just showing my love for my team and it was a nice, smart tie that matched my clothes -- none of the customers minded: They had a sense of humor about it," he said.

According to the Tribune, Roberts said later Tuesday he would hire Stone back if he returns to work. Stone said that would not happen.

"I'm not going," said Stone, according to the Tribune.

Sounds like a bitter Bears fan to me. As his boss, Roberts has the right to hire & fire whomever he chooses but to fire a good salesman for wearing a tie representing the team your squad lost to is petty and childish. If thinking that Stone wearing a Packers tie would damage your relationship with the Bears & the community imagine how much worse damage Roberts has caused his business with all the negative publicity they're getting because of it. Not a very bright move.

-ALR