The dispute between Gordon Ryan and Toehold continues to escalate – and now the footwear brand has issued its own version of events, claiming that Ryan had pledged a $1 million investment that never arrived.
Ryan initially announced last year that he would be joining Toehold as a part-owner, frequently showcasing their products and promoting the brand across his social media platforms.
But what once looked like a solid business collaboration has now devolved into a messy he-said-she-said standoff.
Earlier this week, Ryan publicly cut ties with the company, accusing co-owner AG Gregoroff of “giving him the run around” and “lying to (him) for over a year”.
While Toehold didn’t issue an immediate formal statement, a private response to a fan surfaced, and Ryan, after receiving a screenshot, went public with that too.
In the message, Toehold offered their side of the story:
As you may recall, Gordon (Ryan) publicly announced several months ago that he intended to invest $1 million in our company.
Unfortunately, that never transaction never materialized.Despite months of effort on our end, we never received the funds, nor did we receive a signed contract to formalize the agreement.
This all ended about five months ago – Gordon is only now choosing to bring it up.The claim that we owe him money is completely unfounded and honestly quite comical, which is why we’ve chosen not to engage with it publicly.
The message went further, suggesting that Ryan’s behavior followed a pattern:
Ultimately, this is my fault, as I had received multiple warnings about entering into a partnership with Gordon before hand, as this pattern of behaviour appears to be consistent with past business dealings.
We wish Gordon nothing but the best in the future.
I appreciate you taking the time to weigh in, and I hope this provides some clarity on the matter.
In response, Ryan released screenshots of his own to bolster his version of events.
In the messages, he claims he dropped his previous sponsor “Future” based on the understanding that a deal with Toehold was already in place.
The screenshots show him repeatedly chasing payments he believed were owed to him.
Take a look at them on the Instagram post below:
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