America's best shot for Olympic gold in the women's 100 meters won't be competing, after testing positive for marijuana.
Driving the news: U.S. favorite sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended after testing positive for marijuana that she said she used to cope with her biological mother's death, which had put her in "a state of emotional panic."
- "Don’t judge me because I am human," Richardson told Savannah Guthrie on the "Today" show. "I’m you — I just happen to run a little faster."
The big picture: Several athletes have spoken out about their mental health struggles, including names such as Olympic gold winner Michael Phelps — who was suspended in 2009 for being pictured smoking from a bong — and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Many are addressing the fact that leagues lack any sort of accommodations for mental health.
- "U.S. leagues have said within the last few years they would embed a better infrastructure for players to readily have mental health professionals," Axios' Marisa Fernandez writes.
- While research on the role of marijuana in mental health is still inconclusive, patients have reported it has been beneficial for helping them treat mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
What she's saying: "We all have our different struggles, we all have our different things we deal with, but to put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain," Richardson said....
- "Who are you? Who am I to tell you how to cope when you're dealing with a pain or