Packers Tie Guy Gets New Car Salesman Job Offer

Yesterday, we learned that John Stone, who was a salesman at Webb Chevrolet in Oak Lawn, was fired for wearing a tie that had Green Bay Packers logos on it to work. According to several reports, Stone's boss, Jerry Roberts, asked him several times to remove the tie, claiming that it would "rub salt in the wounds" of Bears fans after Sunday's loss, and possibly hurt some ad deals the dealership had with the Bears.

This is stupidity on several different levels. A tie hurting business deals? Most likely, no one would have noticed the tie if Roberts hadn't made a big deal about it; Stone probably would have worn it for one day and then it would have gone back in his closet. Meanwhile, however, Stone's actions weren't too smart, either. In this still-sluggish economy, if your boss threatens to fire you if you don't take a tie off, the prudent action is... to take the tie off.

Nevertheless, this morning, this story appears to have a happy ending for John Stone. According to the Sun-Times, Stone has received a job offer to sell cars for Chevrolet of Homewood. The head of that dealership has made about the only comments that make sense about this matter:

“They’ve been calling from as far away as San Diego, saying they’ll buy from him and only him,” said Guy Cesario of Chevrolet of Homewood. “It’s hard to believe anybody could be so stupid as to fire a good salesman for wearing a Packers tie.”↵

↵Cesario said his salesmen regularly wore the colors of out-of-town teams and that friendly sporting rivalries are “all in good fun.” He doesn’t expect Bears fans will avoid his dealership if Stone is hired, he said.↵

↵As a Chicago Cubs fan who grew up in the heart of White Sox territory on the South Side, “I took a lot of abuse for wearing a Cubs uniform as a kid, so I’ve got some sympathy for him,” he added.

Good for Cesario for putting this all in the proper perspective. Good for Stone for (presuming he accepts this job offer) not being out of work, and being able to support his family. But, Mr. Stone? Next time your boss tells you to remove a tie or you'll be fired? Just do it, baby.