NBC gymnastics announcer Al Trautwig has apologized for comments suggesting the adoptive parents of American Olympic contender Simone Biles are not her real parents, according to USA TODAY.
“I regret that I wasn’t more clear in my wording on the air. I compounded the error on Twitter, which I quickly corrected. To set the record straight, Ron and Nellie are Simone’s parents,” Trautwig said in an email released by NBC Sports.
The commentator received backlash on Twitter when a woman tweeted him to refer to her adoptive parents (who happens to be Simone’s grandparents), as her parents. Trautwig responded in the now deleted tweets, “They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents.
Fans quickly caught wind of Trautwig’s comments and tweeted the hashtag, #FireTrautwig.
Biles’ longtime coach, Aimee Boorman, chimed in and tweeted, “@AlTrautwig actually they are her real parents.”
“GymCastic” podcast host Jessica O’Beirne replied to Trautwig comments, saying, “Could he be any more insensitive and cruel? He is disgusting. How does he still have that job?”
NBC also condemned his remarks. “We became aware of the situation last night and addressed it with Al quickly.”
After Simone and her sister Adria spent time in foster care, their grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, adopted the pair in 2001. Their biological mother struggled with drugs and alcohol abuse.
In an interview with USA Today in December, the 19 year-old pro athlete revealed how her family uniquely came together.
“When I was younger, I was adopted by my grandparents, which are now my parents. I call them Mom and Dad. Everything just been so normal,” she shared.
