Boeing's communications chief resigned Thursday following a complaint over an article he wrote more than 30 years ago contending that women should not serve in combat.
His resignation comes as a number of US companies examine their corporate culture following weeks of protests in the country over racism and police brutality, following the killing of African American George Floyd by a white police officer.
Niel Golightly leaves his post at Boeing after just months on the job.
In a press statement, he said that the article "was a 29-year-old Cold War navy pilot's misguided contribution to a debate that was live at the time."
"My argument was embarrassingly wrong and offensive," Golightly said, adding that dialogue that followed afterwards "quickly opened my eyes, indelibly changed my mind, and shaped the principles of fairness, inclusion, respect and diversity that have guided my professional life since."
His exit comes as Boeing attempts to emerge from a crisis that saw its 737 MAX grounded since March following two deadly crashes and as the aviation industry navigates the coronavirus pandemic that has resulted in travel restrictions and lockdown measures.
Boeing Chief Executive David Calhoun said that he and Golightly had talked about the article "at length" and discussed "its implications for his role as the company's lead spokesman."
"I want to emphasize our company's unrelenting commitment to diversity and inclusion in all its dimensions," Calhoun said.
The Boeing CEO had indicated in a message to employees in early June that he wanted to intensify dialogue on the topic of diversity.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Near Catastrophe: Boeing 777 Scrapes Tail On Takeoff, Avoids Major Incident Plane Mechanic In Iran Dies After Getting Sucked Into Boeing Jet's Engine Wheel Falls From Boeing Plane In Los Angeles, No Injuries Reported Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms "Relocate To Vizag": Andhra Minister To IT Firms Amid Karnataka Quota Row "I Divorce You... Your Ex-Wife": Dubai Princess Dumps Husband In Insta Post Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms "Animal Cruelty": Abu Dhabi's First Owl Cafe Goes Viral, Internet Angry Madras High Court's Big Rebuke To Probe Agency In Illegal Sand Mining Row Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.