Texas-based Academy Sports + Outdoors underwent a torrent of bad publicity earlier this week when they fired the manager of one of their Florida stores after he stopped a man from stealing a gun. The manager, Dean Crouch, saw Jason White take off with a .40 caliber GLOCK and went after him.
Crouch, who court records say observed the transaction at the counter, and another employee tackled and subdued White at the exit doors and recovered the gun, a stolen backpack, five boxes of ammunition and two magazines for the Glock.
But no good deed goes unpunished. Academy fired Crouch for violating company policy.
That officious attitude didn’t go over terribly well with the buying public, though. Academy was deluged with criticism over the dismissal. Now, however, the company has had a change of heart.
Dean Crouch has been rehired as a manager at the Tallahassee location of Academy Sports + Outdoors after being fired earlier this week.
Crouch spoke to the head of the Texas-based outdoors store Friday and has been reemployed, according to his attorney.
“I am pleased to report that the head of Academy Sports + Outdoors stores spoke with Mr. Crouch and offered him his job back and Mr. Crouch accepted,” his attorney Ryan Hobbs said.
All’s well that ends well.