Riley Gaines Accepts Simone Biles' Apology, But Slams Her Call For 'Competitive Equity' As 'Nonsensical'
Simone Biles has apologized to Riley Gaines after calling her "truly sick" over comments about a transgender softball player.
The Olympian admitted her remarks were too personal and emphasized the need for empathy and fairness in the trans athlete debate.
Riley Gaines seemingly accepted the apology while still criticizing Simone Biles' comment about "competitive equity."
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has publicly apologized to Riley Gaines after making a personal remark during an intense debate about trans women in sports.
In a lengthy apology posted on X, Biles clarified her comment and admitted she had crossed a line.
"I wanted to follow up on my last tweets. I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport," Biles said.
She continued, "The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for."
Biles, in her lengthy post, admitted that the topic of trans inclusion in sports is complex and emotionally charged.
She emphasized that she doesn't have all the answers but believes the conversation must begin with empathy and respect.
"These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don't have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect," Biles wrote. "I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful."
She concluded: "Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful."
Biles extended her apology to Instagram, pairing a snapshot of her statement with a caption featuring three silver heart emojis. Her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, backed her move by reposting the message on his account.
Gaines didn't waste time accepting Biles' apology, noting that while the Olympian had body-shamed her, she appreciated the acknowledgement and expressed respect.
She said, "I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks, including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She's still the greatest female gymnast of all time."
Gaines, however, took the opportunity to criticize certain points made by the athlete in her apology, writing: "A couple of things. Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play sports. Competition, on the other hand, and by definition, is exclusive. So the idea of 'competitive equity' is nonsensical."
She further claimed that people shouldn't have empathy for "boys" in girls' sports, as they are "publicly humiliating the girls. To suggest that women and girls must be silent or ignore a boy who is PUBLICLY hurting or humiliating them is wrong."
Gaines then agreed with Biles that "lawmakers and leaders at the top" are to blame while welcoming her to "the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes."
As previously reported by The Blast, the fiasco began when Gaines commented on a post by the Minnesota State High School League showing players celebrating their first state championship win in softball.
Her remark, directed at transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, read: "Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy."
Biles swiftly reacted to Gaines' post with a heated response on X.
"You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser," Biles wrote. "You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans people feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing's for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"
Gaines didn't hold back in her response to Biles' harsh criticism. Calling the gymnast's remarks "disappointing." She then made it clear that she believes the responsibility to navigate transgender inclusion in sports does not fall on women.
"It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces," she said firmly. "You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports, and I say that with my full chest."
Gaines, before accepting Biles' apology, had criticized the Olympian by referencing her very public battle with former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of young gymnasts, including Biles herself.
"All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet [she] believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings," Gaines wrote.
She closed with a jab at Biles' athletic legacy, writing, "You know how many gold medals you'd have if your 'inclusive' dream came true? Zero."
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