Simone Biles Calls Out USA Gymnastics CEO Mary Bono Over Anti-Nike Tweet

USA Gymnastics is embroiled in controversy once again, this time over their new pick for interim CEO and president, Mary Bono. The organization’s star athlete Simone Biles is not impressed with the choice, slamming the new CEO for an anti-Nike tweet from early September after which Bono deleted the tweet and apologized.

Mary Bono was named USAG’s interim CEO and president on Friday, replacing former CEO Kerry Perry, who served in the role for nine months before leaving in September. Bono is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, having represented California's 44th and 45th Congressional Districts from 1998 to 2013, and previously worked at the consulting firm Faegre Baker Daniels, according to USAG. In a statement, USAG said that Bono “is passionate about the sport, and having her as our interim president and CEO will move the organization forward.”

Bono’s Twitter history, however, quickly became a source of controversy for fans of the sport. In a now-deleted tweet from Bono’s account in September, an image shows a sneaker with a white Nike logo and someone marking the logo out with a black marker. The tweet read, “Playing in a charity golf tournament raising money for our nation’s Special Forces operators and their families. Unfortunately had these shoes in my bag. Luckily I had a marker in my bag too…”

Bono’s tweet was presumably a response to Nike’s recent campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, which debuted only a few days prior to the tweet. The ad caused outrage among some, even prompting former Nike fans to burn their shoes.

Gymnastics fans were quick to react to Bono’s tweet, including Lauren Hopkins, editor-in-chief of TheGymterNet, a gymnastics news site. Hopkins responded to the tweet on Saturday: “What are you going to say to Simone Biles, a Nike athlete and a black woman? Or should I just pass you a marker so you can cross her out and pretend she doesn’t exist because you prefer silencing people who speak up?”

Simone Biles, a Nike-sponsored athlete, responded later on Saturday, tweeting: “mouth drop don’t worry, it’s not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything.” USA Gymnastics has been without an apparel sponsor since Under Armour announced that it was ending its partnership with the organization in December.

The next day, Mary Bono deleted the tweet and said “I regret the post and respect everyone’s views and fundamental right to express them. This doesn’t reflect how I will approach my position @USAGym I will do everything I can to help build, w/ the community, an open, safe & positive environment.”

Bono’s hiring comes just over a month since former USA Gymnastics CEO and president Kerry Perry was forced to resign after nine controversy-filled months on the job. Perry was hired to replace Steve Penny, who served as CEO from 2005 to 2017 before being forced to resign by the U.S. Olympic Committee over his handling of Larry Nassar’s abuse, according to Deadspin. Nassar, who pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in November, was later sentenced to up to 175 years in prison, serving multiple sentences concurrently.

Simone Biles, the five-time Olympic medalist who came forward as a survivor of Nassar’s abuse in January, recently returned to the sport, winning her fifth national championship in August. On Friday, Biles was named to the 2018 worlds team after winning a trial competition and debuting a new vault, one never before competed by a woman. She will compete later this month at world championships in Doha, Qatar, and is expected to win her fourth all-around world title and to compete the new vault, which, if completed successfully, will be called the Biles.

Related: Simone Biles Wore a Teal Leotard to Support Sexual Assault Survivors