Discus thrower Veronica Fraley was able to focus on the Paris Olympics once her rent was paid after the American’s public plea for financial help led to her rescue by two surprising sources.
Hip-hop star Flavor Flav and Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit cofounder and husband of tennis great Serena Williams, split the cost of Fraley’s rent after her financial appeal.
However, their generosity could not help Fraley, who attends Vanderbilt University, reach the Olympic discus final, as she finished 13th in qualifying on Friday to miss the final by one spot.
Photo: Reuters
“I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent my school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses,” Fraley posted on X on Thursday.
The Commodores football team went 2-10 last season, while Fraley won the NCAA discus title this season, set the school record and earned a spot on Team USA at the US Olympic track trials.
The 65-year-old Flav, who also sponsors the US women’s water polo team, was quick to respond.
“I gotchu. DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow. LETZ GO,!!!” he wrote.
Ohanian chimed in less than 10 minutes later.
“C’mon now! I’ll split it with @flavorflav,” Ohanian wrote, and then posted less than two hours later: “Update! It is done.”
He posted again with a screenshot of a money transfer for US$7,760 to Fraley.
“Man of my word, and Imma try and come by and support you in person tomorrow. LMK what time,” Flav, the founding member of the US rap group Public Enemy, added.
Flav is in Paris as part of his duties as the official hype man for USA Water Polo — a partnership that came together after he connected with US captain Maggie Steffens on Instagram in May.
The 24-year-old Fraley’s original plea has 18 million views on X.
Ohanian is also promising to pay US$60,000 to any of the 36 athletes entered in his Athlos NYC women-only track meet on Sept. 26 if they win a gold medal in Paris. That is in addition to the US$60,000 the winners at his Athlos event would receive.
Fraley made sure to point out in a later post that her criticism wasn’t with Vanderbilt.
“Thanks for the supporting messages but I want to clarify my irritation isn’t with the school itself, mainly the rules that bar me from making the amount I’m WORTH as a collegiate athlete such as NIL which favors popularity over performance,” she wrote. “That’s all I’m sayin.”
Additional reporting by AP
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
RSS