PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2025--
In a move that unites performance, culture, and unmatched brand-building pedigree, Christian McCaffrey, one of the most recognized names in professional football as a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, has officially joined while on earth ™ as a co-founder and investor. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the performance footwear and apparel brand.
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McCaffrey, who spent his professional career to date with Nike, brings unparalleled visibility and authenticity to while on earth™. His decision to join forces with the brand as a co-founder and investor signals not just an evolution but a deeper belief in the company’s mission, vision, and people.
"I fell in love with what Todd and the team are building," said Christian McCaffrey, while on earth™ Co-Founder and Investor. "I am at a point in my career where I wanted to build something from the ground up and to be part of something bigger than myself. This isn’t just about putting my name on something. I wanted to share a vision with like-minded people that is represented through footwear and apparel. This is the perfect fit, not just because I resonate with the actual products, but because of the people and the name itself. I’ve already been very hands-on with product direction specifically and I’m very excited about the opportunity we have in front of us.”
while on earth™, which launched in the fall of 2024, offers performance footwear and apparel for those who move, go and do and the brand is inspired by the ethos that time is our most valuable currency. while on earth™ champions timeless, versatile products, including footwear and apparel designed for moving between training and daily life with intention. Since launch, the brand has experienced rapid growth amongst fitness and wellness enthusiasts, becoming known for its signature Move Trainer. while on earth™ apparel features recycled materials that are OEKO-TEX certified, ensuring the product is free from harmful substances and manufactured in environmentally friendly and ethical conditions.
“For an athlete like Christian, in the prime of his playing career, to commit to an early stage brand like while on earth™ is extremely unique,” said Todd Meleney, while on earth™ Founder. “Any brand would be fortunate to work with Christian and it’s a testament to his belief in our vision. He will help introduce while on earth™ to an entirely new audience, and have a meaningful voice in shaping our future. We have already kicked off some exciting new products together and his feedback and contributions have been so valuable. This is a defining moment for our business and I can’t wait for all that’s ahead of us.”
Joining McCaffrey is a team of executives with a proven track record including Todd Meleney, who spent a decade leading marketing at NOBULL, in addition to CrossFit legends Mat Fraser and Brooke Wells.
The campaign video announcing Christian as a co-founder was shot in a stunning, secluded home and private coastal gym. Christian plays the famous classical song Clair de Lune on the piano, as his powerful voiceover offers a sophisticated glimpse into a new kind of sports leadership – one rooted in creativity, calm confidence, and uncompromising quality.
To celebrate this announcement, while on earth™ is offering their new Pathway Hat as a gift with purchase for orders over $150 using code CMC.
About while on earth™
while on earth™ is a Providence-based performance footwear and apparel brand creating high-performing, versatile essentials for modern athletes. Built by a proven team of brand leaders, athletes, and creatives, while on earth™ delivers timeless design rooted in discipline, intention, and movement. For more information visit whileonearth.co.
For more information and to shop while on earth™ footwear and apparel: whileonearth.co
Join the while on earth™ community on social @ whileonearth
NFL Superstar Christian McCaffrey Joins Performance Footwear and Apparel Brand while on earth™ as Co-Founder and Investor
WASHINGTON (AP) — A plan to slash drug review times at the Food and Drug Administration is sparking deep concerns among agency staffers and outside experts, with some saying the poorly defined effort is taking key decisions away from career scientists and placing them in the hands of political leadership.
The initiative by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary promises ultra-fast reviews for drugs that align with “U.S. national priorities.” It’s at the center of Makary’s stated goal to “cut red tape” and “challenge assumptions” at the agency tasked with assuring the safety of food, medicines, medical devices and other consumer goods.
But FDA staffers say the push for faster approvals is contributing to a climate of anxiety, fear and confusion within the agency’s drug center, which has lost nearly 20% of its staff to recent layoffs, buyouts, retirements and resignations.
Concerns about the legality of the program have also contributed to the recent departure of several leaders of the FDA drug center, which is now being led by its fifth director in the past year.
FDA drug reviews have traditionally been handled by FDA career scientists who spend months analyzing data to determine whether drugs meet federal standards for safety and effectiveness.
But the effort to truncate certain drug approvals has become intertwined with White House efforts to secure pricing concessions for drugmakers, an unprecedented shift in the agency’s longstanding science-based approach that staffers fear could damage the FDA's reputation and endanger patients.
Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon said the voucher program prioritizes “gold standard scientific review” and aims to deliver “meaningful and effective treatments and cures.”
Here’s what to know:
Questions remain among top FDA officials over who has the appropriate legal authority to sign off on drugs cleared under the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss confidential agency matters.
The FDA’s then-drug director, Dr. George Tidmarsh, declined to sign off on approvals under the pathway. Tidmarsh resigned from the agency in November over a lawsuit challenging his conduct on issues unrelated to the voucher program.
After his departure, Sara Brenner, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, was set to be the final decider on the approval decisions, but she also declined the role after looking further into the legal issues, according to the people. Currently the agency’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Mallika Mundkur, is taking on the responsibility.
Giving final approval to a drug carries significant legal weight, essentially certifying the medicine’s safety and effectiveness meet FDA standards. If unexpected side effects or other problems later emerge, both the agency and individual officials could be pulled into investigations or lawsuits.
Despite such concerns, the program remains popular at the White House, where pricing concessions announced by President Donald Trump, a Republican, have repeatedly been accompanied by FDA vouchers for drugmakers that agree to cut their prices.
For instance, when the White House announced that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk would reduce prices on their popular obesity drugs, FDA staffers had to scramble to vet and announce new vouchers for both companies in time for the press conference, according to multiple people involved in the process.
That’s sparked widespread concern that FDA drug reviews have become malleable and open to political interference.
FDA approval decisions have nearly always been handled by agency scientists and their immediate supervisors, rather than political appointees and senior leaders.
But under the voucher program, approval comes through a committee vote by senior agency officials, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. Staff reviewers don’t get a vote.
Current and former staffers say the new approach flips FDA precedent on its head, minimizing the input of FDA scientists who have the greatest expertise and familiarity with the drug safety and effectiveness data.
Because of the ambiguity around the program’s workings, some drugmakers have had their own interpretation of the timeline for review — creating further confusion and stress among FDA staff.
Two people involved in the ongoing review of Eli Lilly’s anti-obesity pill said company executives initially told the FDA they expected the drug approved within two months.
The timeline alarmed FDA reviewers because it did not include the agency’s standard 60-day prefiling period, when staffers check the application to ensure it isn’t missing essential information.
But Lilly pushed for a quicker filing turnaround, demanding one week. Eventually the agency and the company agreed to a two-week period.
When reviewers raised concerns about some gaps in the application, one person involved in the process said, they were told by a senior FDA official that it was OK to overlook the regulations if the science is sound.
Former reviewers and outside experts say that approach is the opposite of how FDA reviews should work: It’s by following the regulations that staffers scientifically confirm the safety and effectiveness of drugs.
Nixon declined to comment on the specifics of Lilly’s review but said FDA reviewers can “adjust timelines as needed.”
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
