Celebs And Athletes Show Support For Sha'Carri Richardson Amid Olympic Suspension

Mehera Bonner
·5 min read
Photo credit: Patrick Smith - Getty Images
Photo credit: Patrick Smith - Getty Images
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Sha'Carri Richardson has experienced a huge outpouring of support from celebs, fans, fellow athletes, and politicians after being suspended from the Olympic team for a month due to testing positive for THC.

The suspension has received criticism due to marijuana not being a performance-enhancing drug—not to mention the policing of its use being firmly rooted in racism. Richardson revealed on the Today Show she used marijuana to cope with learning about the death of her biological mother.


While speaking to Today's Savannah Guthrie about the suspension, Richardson explained that she'd learned about her biological mother's death moments before racing at the Olympic trials.

"To put on a face, to have to go in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain, I don't know ... Who am I to tell you how to cope when you're dealing with pain? Or you're dealing with a struggle that you've never experienced before? Or that you never thought you'd have to deal with?"

She added, "I would like to say to my friends, my family, my sponsorship, to the haters too: I apologize. As much as I'm disappointed, I know that when I step on the track I don't represent myself, I represent a community that has shown me great support, great love."

As Olympic Gold Medalist soccer player Sydney Leroux noted, "We need to look at what athletes are being given to deal with the mental and physical demands of their sport. If Xanax and opioids are legal, then marijuana should be too."


Read more responses from celebs, athletes, and politicians supporting Richardson below:

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