![\"Simone](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-2165566644_c7c8c6-e1723120840240.jpeg?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1\")
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Simone Biles<\/strong><\/a> will always stand up for Team USA. The 27-year-old gymnast discussed how she has her teammates\u2019 backs during a new interview after closing out her third Olympic Games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important because you have to teach them to use their voices,\u201d she told PEOPLE<\/em><\/a> in an interview published earlier this week. \u201cAnd if not, you\u2019re a voice for the voiceless, which is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n As the \u201cteam lead\u201d and the eldest player on the team, Simone pointed out that it \u201cjust felt like it was right in that moment to stand up for them, because they\u2019re so young and they haven\u2019t fully stood in their power yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she didn\u2019t specify what exactly she defended her teammates \u2014 Jordan Chiles<\/a>, Jade Carey, Suni Lee<\/a><\/strong> and Hezly Rivera<\/strong> \u2014 against, Simone\u2019s comment was made the same day that MyKayla Skinner<\/strong><\/a> publicly <\/a>asked her to \u201cstop\u201d her fans from harassing the former Olympian.<\/p>\n Oh she ENDED Mykayla Skinner pic.twitter.com\/E594MNPhsO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Roberts HC era (@chrisovitina) July 31, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cI am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this,\u201d MyKayla, 27, said in an Instagram<\/a> video earlier this week. \u201cPlease ask your followers to stop. \u2026 Watching people cheer on the bullying is disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n MyKayla was referring to the vitriol she has seen from online users over comments she previously made about the current generation of gymnasts. In June, the 2020 vault silver medalist appeared in a video, criticizing the \u201ctalent\u201d and \u201cwork ethic\u201d of the athletes compared to those from the past under former Team USA coordinator M\u00e1rta K\u00e1rolyi<\/strong>. Upon receiving backlash from fans, MyKayla publicly apologized, but Simone seemingly clapped back<\/a> at her former teammate in an Instagram post after Team USA won the gold medal.<\/p>\n \u201cLack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,\u201d Simone captioned her post. Many social media users and athletes were convinced that the GOAT was making a reference to MyKayla\u2019s comments. Shortly thereafter, MyKayala blocked Simone<\/a> on Instagram, and Simone seemingly confirmed it by tweeting, \u201cOop I\u2019ve been blocked.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout her Instagram video, MyKayla claimed that she had sent each gymnast from Team USA \u201cindividual messages\u201d apologizing to them, but only Simone allegedly responded and said \u201cshe was proud\u201d of MyKayla.<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold just to see this brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post,\u201d the Arizona native said, before adding. \u201cIf Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent and if that\u2019s really how she feels, I am really heartbroken over it. But not just heartbroken because it isn\u2019t what I feel or even how I previously said, but because Simone\u2019s latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails. Hate that includes death threats to me my family and even my agent. My family and my friends don\u2019t deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They\u2019ve done nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Simone has not publicly responded to MyKayla\u2019s Instagram video.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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