Injured Auburn gymnast: 'My pain is not your entertainment'
Samantha Cerio does not want to be reminded of the graphic injuries she suffered Friday night.
The Auburn gymnast dislocated both her knees in a freak landing while performing her floor exercise routine. The video of her injury went viral because of how dramatic her injuries were. And Cerio would like people to show some consideration. She posted a message to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon asking people to stop posting the video of her injury.
“Those of you posting and tagging me in the video of my injury, I am asking you to please stop. Going through the pain and seeing my knees bent unnaturally in real life was horrible enough, but to continue to see it from videos/pictures because some people feel entitled to repost it is not okay. I have family, friends, and teammates who do not need to see me getting injured over and over again. My pain is not your entertainment.”
Thursday afternoon, Cerio made her Twitter account private.
She made an understandable request in that message and it’s a not-so-subtle reminder that the people who compete in athletic competitions (and suffer injuries in those competitions) are not robots. The absolute least people can do is to not tag her social media accounts in their posts.
Cerio had surgery Tuesday
Auburn gymnastics coach Jeff Graba said Tuesday that Cerio’s knee surgery lasted approximately 2.5 hours and was an “extreme success.” A senior in 2018-19, Cerio announced her retirement from gymnastics after the injuries.
Cerio also has a big post-surgery goal, too. She’s getting married in June and Graba told NBC News that Cerio said she wanted to be able to walk down the aisle.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports
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