By Allie Martin and Jody Brown
October 15, 2001

(AgapePress) - The former coach of the Washington Redskins calls the catalog for clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch "pornographic."

Former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs recently wrote a letter to Abercrombie & Fitch chairman Michael Jeffries saying that he is appalled at the firm’s efforts to market clothing by using sexually suggestive photos and an obvious promotion of gratuitous sexual behavior and promiscuity. Gibbs also wrote that in his opinion, most Americans would consider the images in the catalog pornographic in nature.

Addressing A&F management, Gibbs wrote: "The idea that each of you approved a campaign that distributes these sexually suggestive images to make a profit is, in my opinion, stooping as low as you can go."

According to CNSNews, Gibbs sent copies of his letter to religious, political, and business leaders, including President Bush and Senator Orrin Hatch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the letter, Gibbs also vowed to become involved on a grassroots level to boycott Abercrombie & Fitch products.

"I can promise you -- I will devote my full efforts to spread the word about this [advertising] campaign," Gibbs wrote. "My hope is that your business will indeed suffer as a result."

Gibbs also promised to enlist the support of the 500,000-member Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life, which includes more than one million young people and their adult sponsors.

Numerous pro-family groups are protesting Abercrombie & Fitch for what they see as the firm’s exploitive use of sexual images in its marketing to young people.

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