Busch cuts ties with Carson King following offensive tweets

Following the rise of a 2011 tweet referencing ‘an attempt at humor that was offensive and hurtful, Anheuser Busch has pulled out of its deal with ‘Iowa Legend’ Carson King. Both the beer company and Venmo will continue their efforts to donate to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Alexandra Skores and Robert Read

After a 2011 social media post from ‘Iowa Legend’ Carson King was brought to the attention of Anheuser-Busch, the company announced Tuesday that it will be cutting all ties to the Iowa State fan.

In a press conference Tuesday night held by King himself, a Des Moines Register reporter asked King about the media post quoting and referencing a Tosh.0 segment, that he later referenced in his statement as “an attempt at humor that was offensive and hurtful.”

The Prairie City native had just yesterday spoke to The Daily Iowan about his plans for all of the Anheuser-Busch beer containing King’s face on the can that had been promised to him following his donation to the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

As previously reported by KCCI News, Anheuser-Busch said, “Carson King had multiple social media posts that do not align with our values as a brand or as a company and we will have no further association with him. We are honoring our commitment by donating more than $350,000 to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.”

WHO TV Channel 13 Des Moines reported King reached out to Busch Beer and Venmo since word of the tweet surfaced. He stated both still plan to match funds for the children’s hospital.

“I cannot go back and change what I posted when I was a 16-year-old,” King said in his statement. “I can apologize and work to improve every day and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”

RELATED: Carson King receives slew of goodies in Busch sign aftermath

A petition to the Des Moines Register on Change.org has been created asking for an official ‘public apology for trying to berate a young man who is doing something truly amazing,’ stated the post. As of 10:18 p.m. on Tuesday, 17,442 people have signed the petition.

King’s story begins at the Cy-Hawk rivalry game Sept. 14 when he could be seen on ESPN’s College GameDay holding a sign reading “Busch Light supply need replenished. Venmo Carson-King-25.” After an abundance of Venmo payments to his account, King decided to donate his account to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which totaled $1.125 million when combining King’s Venmo account donations with the matches from Busch and Venmo.

“I want everyone to understand that this was my decision to publicly address the posts and apologize,” King said in a Twitter post Tuesday night. “I believe that is the right thing to do.”

At this time, King could not be reached for comment.

King still plans to attend the Iowa home football game on Saturday, as previously reported by KCCI News.

“I am sharing this information tonight because I feel a responsibility to all of the people who have donated money,” King said in his statement.

The Des Moines Register reporter who questioned King, Aaron Calvin, had to issue an apology of his own after racist tweets from 2011 surfaced.

“Hey just wanted to say that I have deleted previous tweets that have been inappropriate or insensitive. I apologize for not holding myself to the same high standards as the Register holds others,” Calvin tweeted after the Des Moines Register released a statement explaining why they chose to report on King’s tweets.