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Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles' apology following disagreement over trans athletes

Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles’ apology following disagreement over trans athletes – Face2Face Africa Keep Up With Global Black News Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox. Simone Biles and Riley Gaines got into an online disagreement over transgender athletes […]

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Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles' apology following disagreement over trans athletes





Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles’ apology following disagreement over trans athletes – Face2Face Africa


































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Simone Biles and Riley Gaines got into an online disagreement over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports — Left photo credit: Ocoudis | Right photo credit: Gage Skidmore

Former college swimmer Riley Gaines on Tuesday accepted Simone Biles’ apology after the pair got into an online disagreement over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. 

Per The Independent, Gaines has been a staunch advocate for the introduction of policies to control the involvement of transgender women in competitive female sports. Gaines embarked on that campaign in 2022 after she and former University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas both finished fifth in a 200m freestyle race. 

Transgender athletes being allowed to participate in competitive women’s sports has also been a hugely debated topic that has drawn divergent sentiments, and that was what sparked the initial online disagreement between Biles and Gaines. 

“I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 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, 28, wrote in her Tuesday post. 

Biles also stated that the issues in question are “sensitive” as well as “complicated,” and she “truly” doesn’t have the “answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect.”

“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 added. 

“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.”

READ ALSO: ‘You have been cruel to me’ – Algerian boxer Imane Khelif calls out Elon Musk

The Olympic gold medalist’s statement on Tuesday came days after she called out Gaines, 25, when the former college swimmer responded to a post from a Minnesota high school softball team with a pitcher who is transgender. 

“To be expected when your star player is a boy,” Gaines quoted on the post to highlight the comments being turned off. 

But Biles took issue with her comments and also directly addressed her. “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 feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”

Biles in another post also wrote, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

Gaines also fired back. “This is actually so disappointing,” she told Biles in her response. “It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. 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.”

Despite their initial online spat, Gaines on Tuesday accepted Biles’ apology. “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,” she wrote on Biles’ post.

Elsewhere in her long post, Gaines said that “women’s sports can’t be used as an excuse for girls to center the feelings and validation of men and boys.” She added: “I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had.”

READ ALSO: Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s DEI, trans restrictions in grant programs


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Scarlett Johansson speaks out after red carpet kiss with co

Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her “Jurassic World Rebirth” co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral. The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film’s premiere in London on June 17. On June 23, the two shared another kiss at “Jurassic World Rebirth’s” premiere in New York […]

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Scarlett Johansson speaks out after red carpet kiss with co

Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her “Jurassic World Rebirth” co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral.

The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film’s premiere in London on June 17. On June 23, the two shared another kiss at “Jurassic World Rebirth’s” premiere in New York City, where Johansson’s husband, “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost, was in attendance. 

During a recent episode of “Today,” host Craig Melvin told Johansson that he wanted to ask her about “this kissing thing that you and Jonathan have been doing all over the world.” 

Melvin went on to note that Bailey was “so attractive,” to which Johansson responded, “Yeah, you said it!” 

“Is that why we keep planting lips on him?” Melvin asked.

“He’s a lovable guy, what can I say?” Johansson replied. “I don’t know. We’re just friendly people.”

When Melvin asked whether she was surprised by the public attention to the pair’s kisses, Johansson told him, “Nothing surprises me, you know what I mean?” 

Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her “Jurassic World Rebirth” co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

“Nothing surprises me these days,” she continued. “But, yeah, I’ve got a lot of love to give, what can I say?”

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the New York premiere, Bailey, who came out as gay in 2018, shared his thoughts on his PDA moments with Johansson. 

“I believe in being able to show love in all different ways. And if you can’t kiss your friends … life’s too short not to,” the “Wicked” star said. 

The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor recently made headlines after locking lips at their film’s premiere in London on June 17. Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

In addition to Johansson and Bailey, “Jurassic World Rebirth” also stars Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. “Jurassic World Rebirth” is the fourth “Jurassic World” movie and the seventh installment of the “Jurassic Park” franchise.

The upcoming film is a standalone sequel to 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” and it is set five years after the events of its predecessor. 

According to a plot synopsis, Johansson plays Zora Bennett, who “leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park.”

On June 23, the two shared another kiss at “Jurassic World Rebirth’s” premiere in New York City. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Johansson’s husband, “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost, was in attendance.  Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

“Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.”

While speaking with E! News at the New York premiere, Johansson explained why she wouldn’t stop her 10-year-old daughter Rose from watching her mother’s new PG-13-rated movie. 

“I’ve been talking to some other ‘Jurassic’ fans, and they say this is the scariest one, but I would let my daughter see it,” the Marvel star said. 

“He’s a lovable guy, what can I say?” Johansson said. “I don’t know. We’re just friendly people.” Getty Images for SiriusXM

“It’s still appropriate for the family,” she added. “You just gotta watch it through the crack in your fingers.”

Johansson shares Rose with her ex-husband, Romain Dauriac, whom she divorced in 2017. The five-time Golden Globe Award winner and Jost, who tied the knot in 2020, are parents to son Cosmo, 3. 

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Olivia Dunne Nails the Handstand Splits on the Balance Beam in Impressive Gym TikTok

Practically all of Olivia Dunne’s TikTok content goes viral. But, our favorite videos are when she shows off her impressive gymnastics tricks in the LSU gym. The 22-year-old, who celebrated her birthday last month, reminded her 8.1 million followers in a new video that she and her team did in fact bring home the first […]

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Olivia Dunne Nails the Handstand Splits on the Balance Beam in Impressive Gym TikTok

Practically all of Olivia Dunne’s TikTok content goes viral. But, our favorite videos are when she shows off her impressive gymnastics tricks in the LSU gym. The 22-year-old, who celebrated her birthday last month, reminded her 8.1 million followers in a new video that she and her team did in fact bring home the first NCAA women’s gymnastics championship title in program history earlier this year—and you best believe they are training to secure another one in 2025.

The fifth-year athlete, who begins her final competition season with the Tigers in January, showed off her beam skills and super-toned figure as she donned a classic black leotard. The content creator, who is dating MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, began on the floor, hoisting herself up on her arms and her legs in the air in splits in one swift, seamless motion. She held a mid-air position for one second and then lowered her legs onto the beam with control before dismounting, smiling and striking a pose for the camera.

Her long blonde locks were tossed back into a low, loose ponytail with a few face-framing pieces left loose.

“A bit of a stretch #gymnastics #lsu,” she captioned the video. Watch here.

“Living for this content,” one fan commented.

“i look up to you so much genuinely,” another gushed, and Dunne responded with a few pink heart emojis.

The New Jersey native, who is the highest-paid female college athlete in the country, has been a champion for Name, Image, Likeness deals and is constantly working to uplift her peers and provide access to financial opportunities through her Livvy Fund.

“I really just hope that [The Livvy Fund] is the first of many. I really hope to get as many women student athletes on board as I can. I want to continue to elevate women’s sports as a whole because they really deserve the same publicity as the men’s. We do equal work, we put in equal time in our facilities every day and in school, so I feel like it would be right for this to be equal,” the twotime SI Swimsuit model told the magazine. “It’s very important to help educate other student athletes here at LSU on how to be a savvy businesswoman and how to partner with brands. Over the past two years, I’ve learned so much from these brands, so I just want to help educate others and help give equal opportunities.”

This article was originally published on www.swimsuit.si.com as Olivia Dunne Nails the Handstand Splits on the Balance Beam in Impressive Gym TikTok.

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Oldham Athletic break silence after footballer 'knocks woman out with chair'

Oldham Athletic have released a statement after one of their footballers was involved in a poolside brawl on holiday. After being captured on video, Kian Harratt was swiftly identified as the man responsible for throwing a plastic chair, which ended up hitting a woman, who fell to the ground. The clip, which did the rounds […]

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Oldham Athletic break silence after footballer 'knocks woman out with chair'

Oldham Athletic have released a statement after one of their footballers was involved in a poolside brawl on holiday.

After being captured on video, Kian Harratt was swiftly identified as the man responsible for throwing a plastic chair, which ended up hitting a woman, who fell to the ground.

The clip, which did the rounds on social media, was taken at an Ibiza hotel with the 23-year-old being part of a group that got involved in a scuffle.

Following the incident, Harratt took to TikTok to address the situation, admitting that he felt ‘apologetic and terrible’, before adding that he wasn’t aiming to hit the woman, claiming she ‘went down a bit easy’.

The footballer described the man allegedly responsible for starting the squabble as a ‘bully’ who was ‘6’6 and built like a brick’. He claims the man was making people at the pool ‘feel uncomfortable’ with his behaviour.

Harratt has explained his side of the story on TikTok (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Harratt has explained his side of the story on TikTok (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

He has since responded to these claims, while the hotel also addressed the events of the video with a slightly unusual statement.

Oldham Athletic, the team which employs Haratt, has now addressed the video in a statement to the BBC.

They said that a ‘thorough investigation’ into the situation would be carried out, adding that the club ‘strongly condemns violence of any kind’.

“Until the outcome of that investigation there will be no further comment,” the League Two club stated.

The Marco Polo Hotel in San Antonio said that the fight lasted ‘less than three minutes’, while bizarrely claiming that ‘no chairs were thrown at any guests’, despite the viral footage.

Speaking of the woman who was hit, they stated: “The lady was asked by our security members if she wanted to report to the police and file a complaint, but she said she was OK and she did not want to, that she just slipped and she was fine, and she thanked our security members.”

Harratt claimed on social media that he was simply defending a friend of his in the videos.

The striker made headlines earlier this year, though for all the right reasons, after scoring the National League play-off final winner against Southend United in extra time, which sent Oldham back up to League Two.

The video has gone viral on social media (X/The 92 Bible)

The video has gone viral on social media (X/The 92 Bible)

Brandon Watkins, part of the group confronting Harratt and his friends, had a different recollection of events, explaining that he was ‘aggressively splashed’ by one of Harratt’s mates.

He noted that they were ‘throwing balls about’ and that people said they would cause trouble.

“They were just being a nightmare. One lad was winding us up. Kian was sat right next to him and if anything, Kian was provoking him,” Watkins claimed.

After the woman was hit, he claimed to have stayed with the woman, adding: “Would I have done that if I was a bully who was making them uncomfortable?”

LADbible has previously reached out to Kian Harratt’s representatives and Oldham Athletic for comment.

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VIDEO: Dak Prescott Is Going Viral After Sinking Crazy Long Putt That May Be His Greatest Accomplishment Of His Career Home » NFL » VIDEO: Dak Prescott Is Going Viral After Sinking Crazy Long Putt That May Be His Greatest Accomplishment Of His Career 1

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VIDEO: Dak Prescott Is Going Viral After Sinking Crazy Long Putt That May Be His Greatest Accomplishment Of His Career



























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Deebo Samuel Sr. Is on a New Team. His Team Pics Have Gone Viral – for All the Wrong Reasons

Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images Why is Deebo getting so much attention? Shahmeer Shahzad | Published: Jun 27, 2025 10:39 am Team pics are standard practice for every transfer, be it veterans or freshly drafted rookies. However, things took a turn for the worse for American WR Deebo Samuel Sr. when his team pictures hit […]

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Deebo Samuel Sr. Is on a New Team. His Team Pics Have Gone Viral – for All the Wrong Reasons

Deebo Samuel Sr

Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images

Why is Deebo getting so much attention?

Team pics are standard practice for every transfer, be it veterans or freshly drafted rookies. However, things took a turn for the worse for American WR Deebo Samuel Sr. when his team pictures hit the internet. While no athlete dislikes attention, “No press is bad press” doesn’t apply here. Let’s talk about what exactly went wrong and why the new Washington Commanders’ WR is getting so much PR.

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Deebo Samuel’s Viral Team Picture

Deebo Samuel Sr.’s official team picture was recently uploaded to social media. In the picture, he looked slightly heavier than your average NFL player. Internet football experts were quick to pick up on that and dragged that picture through the mud. Fans were quickly retweeting the post with captions of their own, some inquisitive, but most insulting.

Captions like “He playing the offensive line now?,” “Deebo lookin like the Pillsbury Doughboy in a jersey,” and “Bro is practically busting out the seams” were being thrown around. This all came after the 29-year-old’s transfer from the 49ers to the Commanders, even though he is one of the most decorated WRs in the league.

To make matters worse, his team pictures weren’t the only ones that went viral. A short clip of Samuel’s at minicamp also went viral, with people commenting on his perceived lack of effort. However, George Kittle, Samuel’s ex-teammate, quickly came to his defense, reiterating that it was simply practice where coaches and players go through new formations and plays. He also shut down other online haters by asking them to knock it off.

Samuel’s Performance In Past Seasons

Now the question stands: Is Deebo Samuel Sr.’s performance sub-par? The answer is no. Samuel had the third-highest average among wide receivers in the NFL, with 8.3 yards after catch per reception. Not only that, but he ended the 2024 season with 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns in the air.

This backs up his performance in the NFL, showing that he is one of the top players for his position. Even though his last few seasons did not go as well, the transfer is bound to help him get back in his stride.

Still, the unflattering photo stays up as it is an official team picture, but hopefully, he will stop receiving more unwanted attention.

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Dak Prescott goes viral for jacked physique at Cowboys skill players retreat

Dallas Cowboys superstar quarterback Dak Prescott has been hard at work to get back to 100 percent after suffering a season-ending injury during the 2024 NFL season. Prescott suffered a partial avulsion of his right hamstring, with the tendon pulling away from the bone during a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He had […]

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Dak Prescott goes viral for jacked physique at Cowboys skill players retreat

Dallas Cowboys superstar quarterback Dak Prescott has been hard at work to get back to 100 percent after suffering a season-ending injury during the 2024 NFL season.

Prescott suffered a partial avulsion of his right hamstring, with the tendon pulling away from the bone during a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

He had surgery to repair his hamstring on November 13, 2024, and has since been working hard in his rehab process. 

MORE: Dak Prescott trusting rehab process ahead of pivotal 2025 NFL season

This month, Prescott was at the annual retreat with Cowboys skill players, and a photo from the workouts has gone viral with Prescott flexing his jacked physique.

Getting Prescott back to 100 percent will be crucial for the Cowboys if they want to bounce back in 2025. After an injury-riddled 2024 campaign, Prescott cuold take the team to new heights — especially with the addition of star wide receiver George Pickens.

Last season, Prescott threw for just 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a career-low 45.3 QBR.

MORE: Cowboys have shocking player named as 2025 breakout candidate

So, let’s hope the offseason work pays off.

The Cowboys will travel to Oxnard, California in late July to officially kick off training camp on Monday, July 21.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott leads teammates through a drill at the Ford Center at the Star.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott leads teammates through a drill at the Ford Center at the Star. / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

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