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FS1 commentator Emmanuel Acho hasn’t been shy about giving his opinion on anything concerning sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The FS1 Speak For Yourself co-host seemingly takes pleasure in giving his bad takes on Richardson and his fellow sportscasters from other networks have called him out on it.
“You can’t tell people, ‘they gotta see me’ in a race and then be behind them the whole time. They literally can’t see you,” Acho tweeted after Richardson finished last in the 100m dash at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday.
Being consistent in criticism of Richardson, Acho gave his opinion in a since deleted tweet about her disqualification due to marijuana use.
“Legalizing weed in track and field competition is all good if you’re running a straight line,” his tweet read. “Legalizing weed in track and field is terribly dangerous if you throw the javelin. Where do we draw the line?”
Clinton Yates and Ryan Clark of ESPN, former colleagues of Acho, noticed his constant bashing of Richardson and other Black women and decided to respond to his remarks.
“Doubling down on this hate for @itskerrii huh? Not sure what she did to you, but dang I hope you bring her in for some of those comfortable azz conversations you have,” Clark said. “Those folks seem to get a ton more grace from you. Just seems odd you go at this young sister so often.”
Doubling down on this hate for @itskerrii huh? Not sure what she did to you, but dang I hope you bring her in for some of those comfortable azz conversations you have. Those folks seem to get a ton more grace from you. Just seems odd you go at this young sister so often. https://t.co/p1oGR2raKF
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) August 21, 2021
Yates chimed in and accused Acho of using his platform to tear down Black women.
“You constantly dissing black women on main aint funny. At all,” Yates replied.
you constantly dissing black women on main aint funny. At all.
— Reading Rainbro (@clintonyates) August 21, 2021
Responding in a tweet, Acho claimed to support Black women and believes he is the ultimate judge of the “arrogant.”
“Elaine Thompson is black. Shelly Ann is black. I have sang their praises from the mountain tops. I will continue to,” he wrote. “Just because they’re not your flavor of “black” doesn’t mean they’re not black.”
“I’m not dissing black women. I’m checking unmerited arrogance. Thanks,” his tweet continued.
Acho, just like Jason Whitlock who hosted Speak For Yourself before him, has a pattern of attempting to gain notoriety for ill-informed critiques of Black athletes and in Acho’s case, specifically Black women athletes. As Carron J. Phillips of Deadspin pointed out, Acho was much more gracious when he appeared on ABC’s The Bachelor’s “After the Final Rose” when a racist female contestant and the host, Chris Harrison, were being removed for downplaying racism.
“People need to give him the opportunity, the grace and the time to do the work. And then they need to receive the work he does,” he said of Harrison.
Acho came off as much more understanding of the white folks who were caught cozying up to racism on the reality show than he’s been to a 21-year-old Black female athlete.
Thankfully, there are brothers like Yates and Clark who are not afraid to support Black women instead of trying to destroy them.
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