Chris Brown May Lose Wrigley Sponsorship, Hires Mark Geragos

As rumors circulate and new information is slowly being revealed about the recent unfortunate events surrounding R&B singers Chris Brown and girlfriend Rihanna [click to read], both artists are already feeling the backlash.

After leaving Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy bash at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, 19 year-old Brown reportedly got into a physical altercation that left a female victim with visible bruises and cuts to her face. Later on, police confirmed that the victim was indeed pop singer, Rihanna. Both artists, who were scheduled to perform that night at the Grammy Awards, bowed out of the night’s events. Brown turned himself in later on that evening and was released hours later on $50,000 bail. After being arrested and facing charges of making criminal threats, Brown has hired criminal attorney Mark Geragos who is most known for defending Pop star Michael Jackson and actress Winona Ryder.

According to Yahoo News, one of Brown’s major sponsors, Wrigley Gum, is planning to distance itself from the singer, whose latest single “Forever” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The company will suspend Doublemint Gum ads featuring Chris Brown until the situation is settled. While Brown may lose a sponsor, sources at Def Jam have hinted that Rihanna may have to cancel an upcoming Asia tour. Scheduled to perform this week overseas, the incident may cause the 20 year-old entertainer to scrap those tour dates.

Although Chris Brown may lose Wrigley’s sponsorship due to the arrest allegations, he is still scheduled to participate in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Phoenix on February 15th.