Sean 'Diddy' Combs has some strong words to share regarding the 30-day suspension of Olympian Sha'Carri Richardson following her testing positive for marijuana which has left her out of the 2021 Tokyo Games.
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In Diddy's first online statement shared on Wednesday, he said his heart broke for Richardson whose Olympic dream had been "stripped away for using a legal substance" and fired verbal shots at the officials responsible for coming up with what he feels are unnecessary rules. "I’m tired of white people sitting in a room making up decisions that affect our hopes and dreams,” Diddy said. Adding, "They will keep treating our athletes like slaves and entertainment until we shut down on these people!"
Diddy followed up his post with another in an attempt to be “absolutely clear” about his stance on the issue of cannabis use, which he explained has been used "since some white people in an office (DEA / FBI) saw it as a way to entrap Black Jazz artists to shut down the movement happening in Harlem. That's the real reason why it started, you can research the history. It started from an evil plot, and now this plot is affecting our future. So many of our brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, and sons are rotting in jail for marijuana and it’s JUST NOT RIGHT,” Diddy added. “Now, to see them using this against a young Black woman that is on the edge of her greatness, all because some white man decided to make it illegal, is shameful.”
See both of Diddy’s statements below:
Appearing on NBC's Today show, Richardson apologized and said she had consumed the cannabis to cope following the death of her biological mother -- which she learned about through a reporter.
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"I greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did. This will be the last time the US comes home without a gold in the 100m," she said. "I'm 21, I'm very young, I have plenty of Games left in me to compete in, and plenty of talent that backs me up, because everything I do comes naturally to me, no steroids or anything. Don't judge me, because I am human -- I just happen to run a little faster," she quipped.
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