Sha'Carri Richardson, Alen Hadzic and our unending forgiveness for white male athletes

[Jilly_in_VA]

In seemingly less time than Sha’Carri Richardson’s world-stopping, 100m triumph at the US trials, the matter of her Olympic-disqualifying suspension for a positive marijuana test has transformed routine sports talk fodder into a full-blown ethical debate for a divided nation.

In her defense marijuana is legal in a host of states across America, including Oregon, where Richardson went full That Girl while stamping her ticket to Tokyo. But on the flip side this is still America, the puritanical-feigning, War on Drugs-waging nation that’s been championing for marijuana’s inclusion on Wada’s banned substance list ever since Cheech & Chong started lampooning weed as the palliative of choice for the chronically lazy.

Rather than stoke these flames, Richardson accepted responsibility and didn’t much campaign to run in the Olympic 4x100m. And even though the event postdates her suspension, USA Track & Field argued that placing her on the team anyway would have been unfair to her American rivals who had competed fair and square. While Jenna Prandini and Gabby Thomas replace Richardson in the 100m and 4x100m respectively (that’s right; it takes two), the 21-year-old Dallas native walks the ESPYs red carpet, stars in commercials for Nike and Beats by Dre and otherwise casts an acrylic neon shadow on the Games. No, it wasn’t a perfect resolution. But it seemed like a win-win. Or at least it did until Alen Hadzic entered the chat.

Going into these Games, few figured to be checking for Hadzic, the 29-year-old épée alternate on a US team that was a longshot to win a medal. The notable exception: six female fencers who wrote to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in May demanding for an Olympic ban for Hadzic, the prime focus of an investigation into multiple accusations of sexual assault.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/26/shacarri-richardson-alen-hadzic-olympics-suspensions-fencing

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. The point is made

in the rest of the article. I suggest you may want to go back and re-read it.

[UnderThisLaw]

5. Neither has Richardson

[Dr. Strange]

3. Give him the Biden treatment.

Investigate. If no evidence is found of wrongdoing, treat him like everyone else. If it's found that he committed assault, ship him home and kick him off the team.

[EndlessWire]

4. Richardson was a shame

but the Olympic rules prohibit mj, and she should have known better. Oh, she's Black? How convenient to the story. Let's pick the Black vs. White and pitch the story to whatever we want, which nowadays is that no matter what, Blacks are picked on. And, don't you think that lab results plus an admission of use is far more to hang your hat on than multiple women coming forward to complain about a sexual predator, which requires careful sorting out? This seems more female vs. male, than Black vs. White.

I hope the tracker hangs on and comes back. You know, maybe she was done a favor, seeing as how the virus is visiting the games. She's young. Things will be different four years from now.

[Jilly_in_VA]

6. Well, how about

Brock Turner? That's one example of how white male athletes get off easy. And how about the shaming of Gwen Berry and Colin Kaepernick, who weren't even committing crimes?

Or we could talk about a few other white males NOT athletes who skated....Like Brett Kavanaugh, and Bill Clinton...