U.S. Olympic qualifier Gwen Berry is under fire for turning away from the national anthem on the podium at the Olympic Trials over the weekend. The Hammer Thrower felt she was “set up” by having to hear the national anthem, and draped a t-shirt reading “Activist Athlete” over her face during the anthem.
"I feel like it was set up. I feel like they did that on purpose, and I was pissed, to be honest," Berry said of the national anthem being played. "I put my shirt over my head. It was real disrespectful. I know they did that on purpose, but it'll be alright."
As the national anthem played while Gwen Berry was on the podium after qualifying for the Olympics, she turned away from the flag and draped a T-shirt with the words "Activist Athlete" over her head.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 27, 2021
She felt the timing of the anthem was "a setup": https://t.co/cE22DCQCxB pic.twitter.com/HPPnR2xXyr
Stop playing with me pic.twitter.com/WLN3clqOCM
— Gwen Berry (@MzBerryThrows) June 27, 2021
Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) had harsh words for Berry’s unpatriotic behavior, and called for her to be removed from the team.
“We don’t need any more activist athletes. She should be removed from the team. The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America. That’s the entire point,” Crenshaw said on Monday morning. “It’s one thing when these NBA players do it, okay fine, then we’ll just stop watching. Now the Olympic team, multiple cases of this, they should be removed. That should be the bare minimum requirement: that you believe in the country you’re representing.”
.@DanCrenshawTX: "We don't need any more activist athletes." pic.twitter.com/SGjrIbRQlG
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 28, 2021