Gabby Douglas captured the world’s heart when she became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic Gold medal in the All-Around Individual gymnastic event at the London Summer Olympics in 2012.
Her brilliant talent and gorgeous smile were only surpassed by her courage when she shared the tragic story of her abuse by USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
Last year, former USA Gymnastics teammates McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman said Nassar abused them during their careers and Douglas followed in November.
Unfortunately, controversy came first.
After Raisman wrote on Twitter that the way a woman dresses does not give a man the right to sexually abuse her, Douglas replied in agreement, but added, “It is our responsibility as women to dress modestly and be classy. Dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd.”
Douglas faced harsh responses, including one from 2016 Olympic gold medalist and teammate Simone Biles that said “honestly seeing this brings me to tears (because) as your teammate I expected more from you & to support her. I support you Aly & all the other women out there! STAY STRONG.”
Douglas posted a statement on Instagram in which she denied “victim shaming” and apologized. She then said that she too was one of Nassar’s victims.
“I didn’t view my comments as victim shaming because I know that no matter what you wear, it NEVER gives anyone the right to harass or abuse you. It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault we were abused by Larry Nassar,” Douglas said.
“I didn’t publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful. I wholeheartedly support my teammates for coming forward with what happened to them.”
Douglas will discuss her life and athletic success on Tuesday, November 6 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Touhill Performing Arts Center. Part of the sixth annual Speaker Series, the event will be a moderated question-and-answer session.
Tickets are $25 and will go on sale on September 25 through the Touhill box office at (314) 516-4949 or (866) 516-4949.
Talk about two facesÂ
When Terrell Owens passed on attending the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony in August, many Hall of Famers criticized him, and few supported his decision.
Now, some of those same players have told the NFL that they will be absent from induction ceremonies in the future until Hall of Famers receive health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue.
A letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell states, “As a group we are struggling with severe health and financial problems. To build this game, we sacrificed our bodies.”
“In many cases, and despite the fact that we were led to believe otherwise, we sacrificed our minds. We believe we deserve more. The time has come for us to be treated as part of a game we’ve given so much to,” the letter states.
“Until our demands are met, the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton.”
ESPN reported Tuesday that the letter was sent by former L.A. Ram Eric Dickerson, chairman of the Hall of Fame Board. Among Hall of Famers who signed it are Kurt Warner.
When Owens announced he would not attend the ceremony, Warner was not highly critical, but didn’t stand with T.O.’s choice.
“It’s just disappointing,” Warner said. “For me as a fan of the game, for me as another Hall of Famer – I believe the coolest part of the entire process is hearing everybody’s individual story from their perspective.”
Upon hearing in June that Owens would not attend, Deion Sanders, another signee, said on Twitter, “Please tell me this is April and we’re all fools.”
Ronnie Lott must have forgotten what he said about Owens when he added his signature to the letter.
“He’s rejecting the relationships,” Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott told USA TODAY. “That Ray Nitschke Luncheon? That is an incredible moment. Like, wow.”
It’s so “wow” that Lott would skip it for something he believes in.
Jerry Rice supported Owens, and he shared his thoughts after he and Owens were together at the memorial service for San Francisco 49ers great Dwight Clark.
“We chatted for a second and we talked about old times and then what he had going on because he’s going to do his induction speech in Chattanooga where everything started for him,” Rice said during an interview on 95.7 AM in San Francisco.
“That was about it. The thing is, when Terrell makes up his mind about something, you cannot change his mind. He’s going to do it his way. And I commend him.”
Both Warner and Rice said Tuesday that they are not members of the new board and, that while they support the effort, they have no intention of skipping the HOG induction ceremony.
Dickerson said a “miscommunication” led to their names being included on the letter – and blamed the NFL for “pitting player against player.” As if his goof was the NFL’s fault.
Two other names familiar to St. Louis football fans are attached to the letter – Marshall Faulk and Jackie Smith.
Other signees are Marcus Allen, Mel Blount, Derrick Brooks, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Richard Dent, Carl Eller, Mike Haynes, Rickey Jackson, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, John Randle Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor and Sarah White, Reggie White’s widow.
While the cause is just, the hypocrisy of some of the signees cannot be ignored.
Standing PatÂ
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson wrote on September 5 that he was done with the NFL for various reasons. That seems kind of odd for a columnist at a major metropolitan newspaper to dismiss a league that features several stars from the St. Louis area and even more from the University of Missouri.
There is also a team in Kansas City that is the toast of the NFL. Frederickson wrote, “My hand automatically reaches for the radio dial when local sports programming starts breaking down the Chiefs’ defensive line.”
I wonder how he feels about Patrick Mahomes II and the Chiefs’ offense?
Mahomes riddled the Pittsburgh Steelers for six touchdown passes in a 42-37 victory last Sunday. He connected on 23-of-28 passes for 326 yards with no interceptions and the TD passes bring him to a NFL record 10 in the first two games of the season.
“Patrick Mahomes II established himself as both the way-too-early leader for most valuable player and the best explanation for how the NFL operates in 2018 — and probably how it will work in the years to come. He is a marvel, and he is also a fascinating case study, an orchestra tune up of NFL trends,” says Washington Post columnist Adam Kilgore.
“Sunday may have only been a start for Mahomes. He will face stiffer challenges than Pittsburgh’s secondary, to be sure, and not every Sunday will feel like a glimpse into a fluorescent future of the sport. But through two weeks, Mahomes hasn’t only been the most impressive player in the league. He’s been a signpost of where the sport is headed.”
Granted, Washington has a team and St. Louis doesn’t. But it’s crazy for Kilgore to care, but not Frederickson or the rest of the Post sports staff.
It’s past time for somebody other than Alvin Reid to acknowledge in print that something special is going on with Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. P.S. Wire stories don’t count,
The Reid RoundupÂ
If you haven’t viewed Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s postgame press conference following Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles while wearing teammate DeSean Jackson’s clothes and jewelry, Google it immediately.
Big win for Mizzou over Purdue – they’ll beat Georgia on Saturday and be ranked come Tuesday. Of course, I picked Gennady Golavkin (GGG) over Canelo Alvarez by a decision, so don’t listen to me …
I’m sorry, but I found it humorous when Buffalo cornerback Vontae Davis retired at halftime in his game against the San Diego Chargers.
Tommy Pham and the Tampa Rays are 22-5 since mid-August – playing in the toughest division in the Majors.
I think the St. Louis Cardinals will make the playoffs, but it will come down to the last week of the season.
ESPN NBA columnist Zach Lowe wrote last week that the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame should have a wing devoted to NBA Absurdities, and he added, “Hell, the ABA deserves its own building. The Spirits of St. Louis deserve their own wing in that building.”
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
