Dominique Dawes appeared on “Cuomo Prime Time” on Wednesday, where she spoke weighed in on sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension from the Tokyo Olympics.
Richardson was suspended after testing positive for marijuana.
“Well, Chris (Cuomo), like you said, rules are rules. And you’re speaking to an Olympic gymnast, and we are very particular and we are rule followers for most cases,” the three-time Olympic gold medalist said, later adding, “I do think, you know, because it is a current rule, they need to follow the rule, and unfortunately that does mean that Richardson will not be competing in these Olympic games.”
Dawes may be taking such a hard stance because of her own experience when she competed in the 2000 Olympic Games.
“My last Olympic games, there were rules out with regards to the age that an athlete had to be,” Dawes said. “However, Chinese gymnasts were underage, and that truly affected myself and my teammates from getting on the podium and getting a bronze medal during the 2000 Olympic games. So I’m a rule-follower.”
Once her suspension became public, Richardson immediately apologized to the nation in a televised interview. She took full accountability for her actions and shared that she used the drug (which is legal in her state) to death with the sudden loss of her biological mother.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions. I’m not looking for an excuse,” Richardson said on the “TODAY” show, adding that she was “blinded by emotion, blinded by bad news, blinded by just hurting, hiding hurt honestly. … I was just trying to hide my pain.”
Despite her 30-day ban being lifted before the start of the 4×100 relays on Aug. 5, Richardson was not selected for the relay team.
Dawes says she does empathize with the 21-year-old sprinter.
“I really do respect Sha’Carri Richardson for coming out and admitting her fault,” Dawes said, “and really saying she’s human, that she made a mistake.”
