Retired Team USA gymnast MyKayla Skinner, a two-time medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has asked Simone Biles to step in and stop alleged bullying she is receiving over their ongoing feud.
Skinner, in a nearly four-minute video published Wednesday morning, begged for an end to the harsh treatment she said she has endured that includes “death threats” because of the perceived conflict with Biles.
“I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t need to be revisited, but unfortunately, things have really gotten out of hand lately,” Skinner said. “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. 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 stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough.
“So why I’m here is because about four weeks ago, I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking pace with the rising generation. To be totally clear, I take 100% 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. 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.”
Skinner, whose comments with Team USA women’s gymnastics in the earlier parts of this year have been at odds.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” Skinner said in a since-deleted YouTube video.
Skinner apologized for her comments after video of the exchange spread on social media, but Biles and their teammates eventually turned that incident into fuel last week as they clinched team gold in Paris.
Biles shared a collection of photos, including her and her American teammates celebrating the victory behind an image of them hoisting up their flag on Instagram with the caption: “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.”
Skinner shared her heartbreak over the war and its consequences in a recent tearful video.
“But not just heartbroken because it isn’t what I feel or even how I previously said, but 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,” Skinner added.
“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. We’ve been attacked in ways that I’m certain you never intended. Your performance, the team’s performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another.”
