Following the controversial news that sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended from the Olympic team after testing positive for marijuana, Seth Rogen has come to the athlete’s defense in a fiery (and hilarious) tweet that attacks the racist practice of stigmatizing weed.
“The notion that weed is a problematic “drug” is rooted in racism,” Rogen tweeted. “It’s insane that Team USA would disqualify one of this country’s most talented athletes over thinking that’s rooted in hatred. It’s something they should be ashamed of. Also if weed made you fast, I’d be FloJo.”
Rogen was reacting to Richardson’s Friday morning appearance on The TODAY Show where she admitted to the marijuana use and said she’s not looking for excuses. “I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she told Savannah Guthrie. “I know what I did, I know what I’m supposed to do … and I still made that decision.”
However, in Richardson’s defense, she had just learned her mother had died one week before the Olympic trials. “People don’t understand what it’s like to have to … go in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain,” she told TODAY. “Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with the pain or you’re dealing with a struggle that you haven’t experienced before or that you thought you never would have to deal with?”
“So I apologize for the fact that I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions,” Richardson added. “I greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did.”
Despite the suspension, there is still a chance that Richardson can still compete in the 4×100-meter relay, but that decision has not yet been reached by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Support from high-profile advocates can’t hurt.
