Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is speaking out following reports she tested positive for marijuana and, as a result, may miss the Olympics.
During a Friday appearance on the Today show, Richardson addressed the news of her positive marijuana test, saying she's "disappointed" but takes "responsibility for my actions" and that she knows what "I'm allowed not to do and I still made that decision." But she explained that she has been dealing with the "heavy" news of the death of her mother, which sent her "into a state of emotional panic," and she was trying to "hide my pain."
"I apologize for the fact that I didn't know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time," she said. "To my fans, my family, my sponsorship, and the haters, I greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The sprinter's test result came at last month's U.S. Olympics trials, where she won the 100-meter dash, and it "would mean all of Richardson's results from the meet would be wiped out," Reuters reported. On Friday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency said Richardson will be suspended for one month beginning on June 28, which "could clear her in time to run in the 4x100 meter relay that takes place later in the Games — if she is named to the U.S. team," The New York Times reports.
Richardson told Today she would be "grateful" if she would still be able to participate in the Olympics but that at the moment, she's focused on her efforts to "heal myself." Either way, though, she promised she'll continue running.
"This is just one game," Richardson said. "I'm 21. I'm very young. Unlike most, I have plenty of games left in me to compete in ... So after my sanction is up, I'll be back and able to compete."
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
