A popular national footwear brand recently published a collaborative Instagram post with a fraternity, despite two former members being recently accused of disseminating nonconsensual intimate images of a fellow college student.
On September 25, HEYDUDE, a viral shoe brand that was acquired by Crocs in 2022, posted a photo on its Instagram account promoting shoes that appeared to be UF versions of the brand’s popular “Wally” loafer, a lightweight slip-on sneaker with a foam insert.
“@heydude called, @thetachiflorida answered,” the caption read, alongside photos of Theta Chi members clowning around and wearing orange-and-blue sneakers. The brand also posted a video on its TikTok account outside of the Florida fraternity house with the caption “wtf is any shoe besides a HEYDUDE?”
The post led to backlash in the comments section, with many questioning why the brand would choose to work with the fraternity. “#CancelHeyDude,” one person wrote. Another chimed in: “I would boycott if I wore fucking ugly shoes but I don’t so I can’t.”
As WIRED previously reported, two former members of the UF chapter of Theta Chi, Kamran Ahmed and Brendan Pitfield, allegedly used anonymous burner accounts with the handles “Steve ‘SC’ Cumfull” and “Arnie_Grape16” to disseminate a nonconsensual intimate video of Maddie Kowalski, then a 19-year-old UF student. One of the “Steve ‘SC’ Cumfull” posts on X identified Kowalski by her full name and sorority affiliation.
According to affidavits from the Gainesville Police Department, the posts accumulated thousands of views. Kowalski’s name went viral on X, causing her “widespread public humiliation and significant emotional distress,” according to the affidavit. Ahmed and Pitfield are currently being charged with sexual cyberharassment, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Kowalski is also suing both men for financial damages in Florida Northern District Court. Through their attorneys, Pitfield (who has entered a plea of not guilty) and Ahmed did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Though no other Theta Chi members have been charged, a screengrab of Instagram comments from an account linked to Ahmed appears to show fellow members referencing his alleged burner name. Some comments also appear to reference a cryptocurrency in Kowalski’s name, that the police affidavit alleges Ahmed promoted on X. When reached for comment, Theta Chi CEO Michael Mayer previously told WIRED that the alleged behavior described in the affidavit is “reprehensible” and “completely contrary to Theta Chi’s ideals.”
The charges against Pitfield and Ahmed, as well as WIRED’s reporting on the case, sparked an outcry on the UF campus. On September 15, a group of students advertised a protest outside the Theta Chi fraternity house, circulating a flier demanding that the chapter be removed from the UF campus. “They need to be held accountable,” the flier reads.