Simone Biles has responded to Marlon Humphrey’s negative comments about her recent actions at the Paris Olympics. The controversy began on Monday after the women’s floor exercise finals concluded. Viewers watched as Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles, who finished in second and third place, respectively, paid tribute to Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade. As Andrade stood on the highest podium, receiving the gold medal, her American counterparts turned to her and bowed, acknowledging her outstanding performance. In no time, Simone Biles and Chiles’s bow sparked a wave of admiration online. However, the beautiful gesture didn’t sit right with everybody, particularly Marlon Humphrey. Minutes after the results came in, the NFL star took to X to slam Biles and her teammate.
“This is literally disgusting,” he wrote over SportsCenter’s post capturing the iconic moment.
Humphrey’s bizarre take subjected him to heavy criticism from angry fans.
“Get to a final and win something. Then you can talk,” one person wrote. Another person commented, “Who are you? Even in your sport, people don’t know who you are, and you want to judge three of the greatest in the world at their sport?”
Despite the backlash, Humphrey seemed unbothered.
“I’m lowkey getting cooked right now. I think I’m getting cussed out in Brazilian on Instagram lol,” he wrote in a tweet in response to the criticism.
Meanwhile, Simone Biles has defended her decision to bow to Andrade amid Marlon Humphrey’s criticism. Speaking on the Today Show on Tuesday, the athlete revealed it was simply an act of sportsmanship. “I think it’s all about sportsmanship, and we don’t care whether we win or lose,” she said. Biles added that it was important to support competitors because they worked just as hard.
“We have to give them their flowers and that’s exactly what me and Jordan were doing,” she noted.
Biles also shared that she and her teammate were just happy for Andrade. The American superstar concluded by explaining that the Brazilian gymnast deserved it, as she had the best floor routine of the day and the Olympics. Indeed, Andrade deserved all her accolades, considering she suffered three ACL tears in the past. In addition, the brilliant Andrade boasts three more medals in the Paris Olympics—two silver medals in the Artistic Individual All-round and Vault categories and one bronze medal in the Artistic Team all-round category.
