Gabby Douglas 2016: Olympic Gymnast Blasted For Lack Of Patriotism [VIDEO]
Gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas has caught even more flack during the Olympic festivities in Rio this week.
Douglas, who made history during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, got lots of criticism for the way she styled her hair. And while that was a topic of conversation this year as well, she is also getting negative attention after winning another medal earlier this week.
A photo of Douglas and her fellow Team USA gymnasts circulated on the Internet Tuesday.
The snapshot was taken during the ceremonial national anthem and Douglas was the only team member who did not have her hand on her chest. The team later won the gold medal. But that didn’t stop fans viewers from taking to Twitter to blast her.
I am not sure about anyone else , BUT the fact Gabby Douglas didnt have her hand over her heart was a huge... https://t.co/AEsKAxY2sN
— Nicola Parker AIFD (@NicolaParkerTx) August 10, 2016
Has Gabby Douglas said why she didn't have her hand over her heart? Not a good look Gabby. — Shawna Matoaka (@smatoaka) August 10, 2016
Was so disappointed to see #Gabby #Douglas not put her hand over her heart during the #anthem It is so disrespectful... #FinalFive #TeamUSA
— Jive (@Jivespeaker) August 10, 2016
She's a military kid, so even more disappointing! #NoRespect Gabby Douglas is criticized for not putting her... https://t.co/E54IHLAxdn — Deanna Frankowski (@ALPatriot1960) August 10, 2016
Ok why did Gabby Douglas have the audacity to not put her hand on her chest for the national anthem smh
— Natalia Martinez (@TalleyMartinez) August 10, 2016
To all you who say it's "no big deal" #gabbydouglas didn't place her hand over her heart, well it WAS a BIG DEAL so many died for that flag! — Terry Hawtin (@FiftyandFit10) August 10, 2016
It wasn’t all bad for Douglas. Some fans defended her and said that the entire incident was being blown out of proportion.
Ah! Now it's the hand during the anthem. Stop trying to tell Gabby Douglas how to live her life. https://t.co/LYip7eGE54
— Ashley Weatherford (@sincerelyash) August 10, 2016
People wanna make a big deal out of everything with gabby Douglas, from her hair to her not putting her hand over her heart — Damacia Johnson (@skylerzane) August 10, 2016
It's land of the "free" so @_GabbyDouglas is free to not place her hand over her heart. Nothing disrespectful at all about it! #FinalFive
— Kevin Taylor (@Lewis_McPherson) August 10, 2016
You got black women on Twitter trashing gabby Douglas for her hair and white men trashing because she did place her hand over her heart. — Bruce Leekix (@LeekixThaGr8) August 10, 2016
ppl are mad at #GabbyDouglas 4 not putting her hand over her heart during da #NationalAnthem meanwhile #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/E6ffOmvNfj
— Petty_Foreign (@ISLANDCHULA28) August 10, 2016
People mad that Gabby Douglas didn't put her hand to her heart for the anthem..... lolololMoreAthletesDoThisThanJustHerStopHatinglololol — Kofie Y. (@KofieYeboah) August 10, 2016
Douglas later responded on Twitter.
“First I want to say thank you everyone for all your support! It’s a huge honor for me to be able to represent #TeamUSA. In response to a few tweets I saw tonight, I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played. I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone. I’m so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home another gold for our country!”
#GoUSA #TeamUSA #FinalFive pic.twitter.com/vzhFZxYOWb
— Gabrielle Douglas (@gabrielledoug) August 10, 2016
Keep up with Enstars for more on the 2016 Olympics in Rio and your favorite celebrities.