The co-owner of Champion Motorsports, a luxury car dealership in Pompano Beach, Florida, is allegedly stepping down after sending an anti-Semitic slur in a text message to a prospective customer.Â
Naveen Maraj, who held operational and managerial responsibilities at Champion, is resigning from his position following a report by BocaNewsNow that revealed a vulgar message sent to Boca Raton resident John Wolf. In the text, Maraj referred to Wolf as a “Jew cu-t,” prompting widespread backlash and a review by the Anti-Defamation League.Â
Champion General Manager Mike Peters announced Maraj’s resignation in a statement published by BocaNewsNow on Friday night, stating that Maraj will no longer be involved in the dealership’s day-to-day operations or management.
“In furtherance of our standards, Naveen Maraj has advised that he will resign from his employment with Champion and will step down from his managerial and leadership roles with the company effective immediately,” Peters said.
Champion initially attempted to explain the message by citing a 14-year-long personal friendship between Maraj and Wolf that involved shared fishing trips and casual banter. The dealership claimed the message was made in a personal capacity, not as part of any business interactions.
However, Wolf pushed back against the characterization, telling BocaNewsNow that he hadn’t spoken with Maraj in six years. He called the suggestion that they had the kind of relationship that would excuse such a comment “absurd.”Â
Despite Champion’s claim that Wolf was not a customer, the dealership said the language used was “offensive and inexcusable” and acknowledged that “intent does not negate impact.” The statement also said Maraj had expressed remorse and personally apologized to Wolf.Â
As of this reporting, the Anti-Defamation League is continuing to report the incident.
