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Shanon Sharpe has received sharp criticism on social media for his differing takes on Sha'Carri Richardson and WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark's participation in the Olympic Games. The three time Super Bowl winner is in favor of Clark competing in the upcoming Olympics in Paris, but he was against the sprinter's participation in 2022.
After winning the 100-m race at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 2021 in dominant fashion, Richardson tested positive for marijuana and received a month long suspension. Consequently, she was banned from participating in the Tokyo Olympics.
At the time, many argued that Richardson should've been allowed to participate in the Olympic Games since she had taken the prohibited substance to cope with her mother’s death. However, Shannon Sharpe wasn't one of them.
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But most recently, Sharpe claimed that, due to her popularity, Caitlin Clark, an NCAA star, ought to have been added to the US basketball team for the Olympics in Paris even though she wasn't picked.
As such, the NFL legend was called out by fans for his contrasting views. One of the fans claimed that Shannon Sharpe always came up with 'foolish' opinions.
"Shannon Sharpe always twerkin for foolishness and standing on nothin. Remember when he stood up for Kwame Brown and said the brotha was not a bust, then soon as Kwame laid ether to his honey bear, Lebron, Shay-Shay did a 5-minute sermon callin' Kwame a bust", they wrote.
"If yall seen brah track record you wouldn’t be that surprised lol," another fan noted.
"Shannon must have qualified for the Olympics the way he has taken the baton from Terry Crews and kept that bullshit moving," a user stated.
Several fans also alleged racism from the former Super Bowl winner.
"The way people are coddling this white girl is so embarrassing. Black women have to twice as great to get a crumb of praise disgusting," a user wrote.
"This is the issue. Not Caitlin Clarke. Folks gotta be less beholden to the great white hope.", another fan alleged.
"This big backed ape just say and do anything just so white ppl can like him and keep him around as a token negro. That's why he willingly let that white man clown him on live tv , don't get brave now. Keep shacarri out your mouth B***H", a Sha'Carri Richardson fan stated.
“Don’t judge me because I'm human”- Sha'Carri Richardson after testing positive for marijuana
Having emerged victorious at the U.S. Trials, Richardson was pitted as the favorite for the 100-m gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the ban added more trauma to the world champion's life as she had lost her mother just some time ahead of the doping test.
However, Richardson didn't use her mother's death as an excuse.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions, I know what I did and what I’m not supposed to do,”, she told NBC in 2021
Stating that she hadn't ever taken performance enhancing drugs, Sha'Carri Richardson added:
"Everything I do comes naturally. There will never be a steroid attached to the name Sha’Carri Richardson. It was marijuana. Don’t judge me because I am human.”
