Former Olympic Teammate Begs Simone Biles for Mercy Amid Torrent of Hate: 'Please Put a Stop to This'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
A former Olympic gymnastics teammate of Simone Biles, who trashed the work ethic of the current U.S. team, is now pleading with Biles to make the hate against her stop.
In June, MyKala Skinner issued a broad-based condemnation of American female gymnasts, according to ABC.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” she said then. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
Biles sent back a zinger on Instagram after the U.S. gymnastics team won the team gold medal: “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” Biles wrote.
After that, Skinner blocked Biles on Instagram, according to NBC.
But now, Skinner wants Biles to say the magic word to make the flames of hate she fanned go away, according to a video Skinner posted to Instagram on Aug. 6.
As of that evening, Biles had not appeared to make a public comment in response to the video.
“I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t need to be revisited, but unfortunately, things have really gotten out of hand lately. And it’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I have said or a point I was trying to make, but it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyberbullying or even worse,” Skinner said.
“Watching people cheer on the bullying — which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband, and our daughter — is disgusting. So please at this point, I’m just asking for it to just stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough.
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“So why I’m here is because about four weeks ago, I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking place with the rising generation. To be totally clear, I take 100 percent responsibility for poorly articulating the point I was trying to make, and the last thing I wanted was to cause harm or offend our U.S. Olympic team,” she continued.
Skinner then showered praise on the team.
“I know these women are incredible — the very best of the best — and almost all of them are my former teammates who I have enjoyed very much cheering on the last few years.”
She said that after posting a video apology, she sent messages to each member of the team.
“Only Simone had responded, and she told me that she was proud of me,” Skinner said. “You guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold — just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post.”
“If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent and if that’s really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it,” Skinner said.
The problem, she said, is that she now feels trapped in a web of hate.
“But not just heartbroken because it isn’t how I feel or even what I previously said, but heartbroken because Simone’s latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails. Hate that includes death threats to me my family and even my agent. My family and my friends don’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They’ve done nothing.”
“To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people need your help now,” she said.
Skinner said the success of the U.S. team should be a time for joy, not pain.
“We’ve been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended. Your performance, the team’s performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another and lift each other and our country up. I love our country, and I love our team. And I hope that we can move on and move forward and cheer on the rest of our teammates and our athletes together.”
Skinner had earlier issued an apology saying it was “not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work,” according to People.
“Your hard work and dedication has paid off, and I congratulate each and every one of you,” Skinner said in the statement. “I take full responsibility for what I said, and I deeply apologize.”
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