Diddy has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the 30-day suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson, who will not be competing in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC.
In his first statement, shared to both Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday, Diddy said his heart was broken for Richardson, whose lifelong dream had been “stripped away for using a legal substance.” He also criticized those responsible for instituting the type of rules that would result in someone being suspended for simply using marijuana.
“I’m tired of white people sitting in a room making up decisions that affect our hopes and dreams,” he said. “They will keep treating our athletes like slaves and entertainment until we shut down on these people!”
Later, Diddy—in a self-described effort to be “absolutely clear” about where he stands on this issue—pointed to the history of oppressive marijuana policies and their detrimental effects on Black people.
“So many of our brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, and sons are rotting in jail for marijuana and it’s JUST NOT RIGHT,” Diddy said. “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.”
At the end of his second statement, Diddy mentioned Michael Phelps, who faced his own weed-focused non-scandal back in 2009. Some, however, have noted that the respective timelines for those headlines-generating non-scandals make the two incidents not as easily comparable as others have argued. Regardless, the point stands: THC showing up in someone’s system should not disqualify them from competition.
See Diddy’s statements below:
Earlier this week, Richardson—who has also received support from Cardi B and other celebrities in recent days—told TMZ she was “accepting” of the current situation.
“I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career,” she said Wednesday.
