Simone Biles breaks partnership with controversial telehealth firm

Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of the sports, has ended her partnership with the telehealth firm 'Cerebral'. The company provides online access to therapists and prescribers for mental-health treatment.

Biles was announced as the chief impact officer for Cerebral in October 2021 after she withdrew mid-event during the Tokyo Olympic Games. Since her withdrawal, she has been one of the most talked about sports personalities across the world, with many appreciating her for prioritizing her mental health.

Stephen Cohen, a spokesman for Cerebral, explained the situation, from the company's standpoint:

"The term of the contract ended earlier this year and wasn't extended."

Simone Biles' agent declined to comment, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company has been surrounded by some difficulties in recent times. The Wall Street Journal reported that current and former employees of Cerebral felt that the company applied pressure on clinicians to prescribe powerful stimulants such as Adderall for adults with ADHD.

In the month of May, the company's founder Kyle Robertson was fired by the board. And in October, Cerebral stated that it would cut about 20 percent of its staff.

Responding to allegations made by former and current employees, Cerebral claimed that they don't pressure clinicians and also that they provide an essential service.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Biles was removed from Cerebral's home page between November 10 and November 15. The exact date of the removal is not known. A page regarding the partnership remained accessible until Monday, before the gymnast's image was removed. It was just mentioned that she used Cerebral therapy services.

Simone Biles with bronze medal at Tokyo

As the controversies surrounding the company started to surface, Biles stopped posting advertisements for the company on her social media accounts. The ads, which were already posted on the GOAT gymnast's Instagram account, have also been removed, according to WSJ.

Simone Biles had also spoken on some of the ads of Cerebral. In late March this year, she spoke on the company's Facebook page.

"When I first started experiencing anxiety, it was really scary. I didn’t know how to tackle it until I found Cerebral."

The company's founder, Robertson, stated in an interview in October 2021 that he decided to pursue the leading gymnast after witnessing the events that occurred at the Tokyo Olympics. Biles also said in an interview that she was presented with several partnership offers from different mental health organizations after she returned home from Tokyo.

The four-time Olympic gold-medalist claimed that she picked Cerebral because the company's idea of providing access to therapy anywhere she is was appealing to her. Cerebral was an associate sponsor of the post-Olympic tour which was headlined by Biles. The tour focused heavily on mental health themes, according to WSJ.

Both Simone Biles and Cerebral have parted ways just one year after announcing a partnership.

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What happened at the Tokyo Olympics which caused Simone Biles' withdrawal?

Simone Biles represented Team USA in the team event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped them qualify for the finals. She also qualified for the individual all-around finals but suffered mishaps during the qualification rounds.

Biles also qualified for the finals of the vault, floor exercise, balance beam, and uneven bars events. However, the American sporting icon then made the following statement on Instagram:

"It wasn't an easy day or my best, but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times."

She also stated that sometimes the pressure of the Olympics affects her. Simone Biles scored 13.766 during her turn in the team event. She nearly fell on her landing. The Ohio-born gymnast left the competition floor but returned after a few minutes.

Simone Biles during the Tokyo Olympics

She withdrew from the rest of the team event due to mental health reasons. Team USA won the silver medal in the event. Biles also withdrew from the individual finals.

Simone Biles competed in the finals of the balance beam event and won the bronze medal, taking her Olympic medal tally to seven. The Ohio-born gymnast claimed that she withdrew due to experiencing twisties. She hasn't competed in professional gymnastics since the Tokyo Olympics.