The gymnastics champion jokingly called the U.S. team "lazy" in a new Instagram post, which many saw as a put-down of MyKayla.
Simone Biles will always defend her teammates. on Tuesday, July 30, at the Paris Olympics, the 27-year-old GOAT of gymnastics shared a celebratory photo on her Instagram as she celebrated Team USA's epic victory - and fans were sure her accompanying text referred to MyKayla Skinner's past comments about the team.
In her post, Simone wrote: "Lack of talent, laziness, and Olympic champions."
Fellow gymnast and close friend McKayla Maroney seemed to confirm the veiled jab at McKayla, 27, when she commented on the athlete's caption, saying, "It doesn't get much more iconic than this," McKayla, 28, wrote. "She was screwing around and then realized it. I feel like I need to apologize to get my name back."
McKellar also mentioned the hilarious nickname Team USA chose for themselves, "F**k around and find out."
Countless fans flooded the comments section, pointing out that this could be a blow to MyKayla. One commenter wrote, "Haha, she's probably jealous you guys won." Another commenter chimed in, "That's the headline! I think you've been saving this one for weeks."
Last month, a video of MyKayla criticizing the U.S. Olympic team surfaced online.
"With the exception of Simone, I don't think she has as much talent or depth as she used to," the athlete said. "Please note, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard anymore. These girls just don't have the work ethic."
MyKayla continues, "Coaches can't influence athletes and they have to be very careful what they say."
The gymnastics community can't let these comments get swept under the rug. I'll try to respect @mykaylaskinner as much as I can, but she's blocking everyone instead of having a meaningful conversation
[Part 1: The gymnastics community can't afford to let these comments get swept under the rug. I'll respect @mykaylaskinner as much as I can, but instead of having a meaningful conversation, she's blocking everyone who demands she be held accountable for her comments].
The athlete later clarified the meaning of her comments in a July 3 Instagram Stories message. In the note, MyKayla noted that her comments "weren't always directed at the current team because I love and support all of the girls who have succeeded and I'm so proud of them."
"It's more like going back to your own gym, it's just that the work ethic is different than it was when we did gymnastics in the [former team coach] Marta [Karolyi] era," she added. "I'm not defending Marta or saying she's doing well, I'm just saying it's different. So anyway, I apologize for any words that were taken out of context or seemed hurtful. That was never my intention. Seriously, I was excited for the girls throughout the video and it was a lot of fun to watch the tryouts and be live with everyone."
In a statement obtained by People magazine, MyKayla formally apologized to Team USA and the gymnastics community for her comments.
"I have no intention of offending or disrespecting any of the athletes or demeaning their hard work," she insisted in a statement. "Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you. Upon reflection, I have compared the 'Age of Marta' to the present time. I recognize that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I suffered under Marta, which may have led me to make hurtful remarks. I take full responsibility for what I said and I apologize. What is most important to me is that the movement I love continues on its path of healing and ensuring a positive environment for all. I wish you all the best in Paris. I will be cheering for you guys! Go Team USA!"