Sha’Carri Richardson Banned From Olympics For Not Doing Anything Resembling Cheating

American champion Sha’Carri Richardson has been disqualified from the Olympic 100-meter race after testing positive for a chemical found in marijuana, she revealed Friday on The Today Show.

Richardson won the 100 at the Olympic trials on June 19 with a time of 10.86 seconds. Her ban is for 30 days, meaning she can't return until July 27. The Tokyo Olympics start on July 23.

Richardson, 21, admitted to smoking marijuana on The Today Show, saying it helped her cope with the recent death of her grandmother. She tweeted, "I am human," perhaps in response to the over-the-top media coverage and the usual backlash on social media.

“I was definitely triggered and blinded by emotions, blinded by badness, and hurting, and hiding hurt,” she said on Today. “I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain.”

Richardson participated in a counseling program, which helped reduce what could have been a three-month suspension to one month.

What seems particularly unfair to Richardson in all this is the fact that women athletes like cannot smoke marijuana -- something that is not a performance-enhancing drug and even legal in some states -- and run in the Olympics. But men can identify as women, take estrogen and beat them in a race.

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.