"I'm not making an excuse or looking for any empathy" - When Sha’Carri Richardson claimed she smoked marijuana to cope with biological mother's death
In 2021, Sha’Carri Richardson made headlines for failing the drug test before advancing to the Tokyo Olympics. Later on, the athlete revealed that she consumed marijuana to deal with the sorrow of her biological mother's death. Moreover, Richardson took responsibility for her action and tried to justify it from her perspective.
Two years ago, Sha’Carri Richardson was running as a favorite ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She had won the women's 100m race in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, clocking an impressive 10.86s. However, days before qualifying for her first-ever Olympics, Richardson was banned.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency revealed that the American athlete tested positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana. As a result, Richardson was given a one-month suspension.
Although Sha’Carri Richardson accepted the suspension, she revealed that she consumed drugs to deal with the demise of her biological mother while bearing the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics.
In an interview with Today in 2021, Richardson defended her drug consumption, expressing,
"(I'm) not making an excuse or looking for any empathy in my case, but, however, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that, something that I would say is probably one of the biggest things that have impacted me ... that definitely was a very heavy topic on me," she said.
Furthermore, Richardson said that it would be tough for the world to understand what it was like to face the public while struggling to hide the pain of her mother’s loss. The athlete added that she never thought she would have to face the pain of her parent’s demise.
Sha’Carri Richardson called out the media for showing apathy
After receiving the one-month suspension, Sha’Carri Richardson began facing a string of lows in her athletic career. Besides the 100m, she was also not chosen for the Women’s 4x100m relay race in the Tokyo Olympics.
Moreover, she could not make it to the 2022 World Athletics Championships, as she faced qualification missteps in the 2022 USATF Championships. It did not let her compete in the finals of the 100m and 200m races.
During the unfortunate experiences that Richardson was facing, she noted the insensitivity of the media to ask her about her failed races.
Therefore, after returning from the race track in the 200m final of the 2022 U.S. Track and Field Championships, Richardson lashed out at the media stating,
“What I have to say, you all can take this interview and do whatever you want with it. I’m coming to speak not on just my behalf, but on all athletes’ behalf … that when you guys do interviews, y’all should respect athletes more."
She continued:
“Y’all should understand whether they’re coming from winning, whether they’re losing, whatever the case may be. Athletes deserve way more respect than when y’all just come and throw cameras into their faces.”
She also added that the reporters must understand the mental state of athletes irrespective of the results and respect their feelings.
“Understand how an athlete operates and then ask your questions,” Richardson said. “Then be more understanding of the fact that they are still human, no matter just to the fact that y’all are just trying to put something out in an article to make a dollar. Thank you.”