Kurt Zouma, a West Ham and France footballer, has lost his Adidas sponsorship deal, just hours after West Ham fined him £250,000 for abusing his cats.
Zouma, 27, is seen in a video obtained by The Sun on Tuesday, February 8, dropping the cat from chest height and kicking it as it lands. He then chases the cat around the living room, cursing it and even throwing a pair of shoes at it before slapping it across the face.
Kurt Zouma of West Ham United has been dropped by Adidas following a video of him abusing a cat.
Following the outrage over the video, the RSPCA took his two cats, and Adidas has now terminated his boot deal.
"The two cats are now in RSPCA care," an RSPCA spokesperson said. The well-being of these cats is and has always been our top priority.
"They've been taken to the vet for a check-up and will remain in our care while the investigation is ongoing."
"We appreciate everyone who expressed concern about these cats. We were working on this problem before the video went viral, and we're now in charge of the investigation.
"We're still looking into it, so we can't say anything more at this time."
"We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an adidas contracted athlete," Adidas said in a statement.
West Ham said Zouma has "willingly complied with the steps taken in the initial stage of the process, including delivering his family's two cats to the RSPCA for assessment," and that the club "is supporting the RSPCA investigation."
"West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated," the Premier League club said in a statement. The fine was immediately accepted by the player, and the funds will be donated to animal welfare organisations.
"West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt's actions and make it clear that the situation is still being treated seriously." We believe it is now more important than ever to allow the RSPCA to conduct their investigation in a fair and thorough manner, and we will make no further comments at this time."
Vitality, West Ham's wellness partner, has also announced that it will end its sponsorship of the club with immediate effect.
"The video of Kurt Zouma that we saw made us very upset. "At Vitality, we condemn all forms of animal cruelty and violence," read a statement.
"We are deeply disappointed by the club's subsequent decision in response to this incident. As a result, we have decided to end our sponsorship of West Ham United immediately. We'll now engage with the club more closely to learn what steps they'll take to address the situation."