Over the weekend, Simone Biles went on a bile-filled rampage against Riley Gaines for her unorthodox belief that men aren't women and therefore shouldn't compete against women in sport.
We covered that here and here.
On Tuesday, the famed Olympian took to X to walk some of it back in a carefully crafted apology to Riley, and I really want to know what y'all think of this:
I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for. These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don't have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.
Xoxo Simone
First off, I love how she signs off with the Nacho Libre signature at the end. A fantastic move.
Secondly, I think there's something missing here.
This feels A LOT more like a PR crafted damage control message than an actual sincere apology, don't you think?
But at least it's something, right? I mean, I promise you that Simone just made herself a target of the Rainbow Mafia with this apology.
The problem is, of course, that she didn't make any friends on this side of the aisle either, which we can see in the multitude of skeptical and critical responses.
I'm all for apologies and I am all about gracious contrition.
And maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not alone in saying I don't see that here.
Gaines herself responded in the most gracious and magnanimous manner, just as you'd expect:
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