Did Sha’carri Richardson Really Have To Get Suspended?

Commentary by Ka'ron Pitts. Photo from WPTV

JUL. 23, 2021: On June 19th, 2021, twenty-one-year old Sha'Carri Richardson solidified her spot on Team USA after winning the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.86 seconds. But Richardson was suspended from the Olympics due to drug use. 

I feel as though Sha’carri had fallen through the cracks because of her mother’s passing. That's just how some people grieve. That was a private moment and they should've respected that instead of blasting her on the news and talking down to her. I wonder if anyone sat and talked to her before throwing her under the bus? You never know what a person is going through if you don’t sit and ask. This girl recently lost her mom and they were quick to throw her out of the Olympics without a chance. 

 Let’s not forget that she broke the world record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.86 seconds. That put US in a good position when she set that record and then they “just gonna kick her out”.  I believe she should be able to run. This was not like her typical behavior.  

Ka'Ron Pitts is a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.