Simone Biles hits back at Marlon Humphrey as NFL star blasts her for bowing down to Rebeca Andrade

PARIS, FRANCE: Gymnast Simone Biles recently responded to the criticism she faced for her decision to bow down to Brazil's Rebeca Andrade after their floor final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Daily Mail reported.

Biles, along with her teammate Jordan Chiles, showed their support for Andrade on the podium in Paris, an act that drew the ire of NFL player Marlon Humphrey.

Humphrey, 28, voiced his displeasure on X, criticizing the two Team USA gymnasts for celebrating Andrade's achievement.

Simone Biles hits back at Marlon Humphrey

Marlon Humphrey reacted to a post by SportsCenter that captured the moment, expressing his discontent with a blunt statement, "This is literally disgusting."

Humphrey's comment referred to the gesture made by Biles and Chiles, who placed second and third in the event, as they honored Andrade's first gold medal win of the summer.

Despite the backlash, Biles stood firm in her belief that their actions were rooted in genuine sportsmanship.

Speaking on the TODAY show the following morning, she explained, "I think it's all about sportsmanship, and we don't care whether we win or lose. We're always going to keep a good face and support our competitors because they've worked just as hard as we have for that moment. You have to give them their flowers, and that's exactly what me and Jordan were doing."

Andrade's victory was particularly meaningful, as she had overcome three ACL tears in her career.

The 2024 Olympics marked a significant milestone for the Brazilian gymnast, adding to her collection of six Olympic medals, including two golds—one from the vault final in Tokyo 2021 and the other from the recent floor final in Paris.

Biles praised Andrade for her exceptional performance, acknowledging her as a formidable competitor.

"We were so happy for her. She deserved it; she had the best floor routine of the day and of the Olympics," Biles said.

She also commended Andrade for maintaining high standards in gymnastics, stating, "I've never had an athlete so close. This definitely kept me alert and brought out the best athlete in me. So I'm excited and proud to compete with her. I've never been so stressed before. Thank you, Rebeca."

Humphrey's reaction to Biles and Chiles' show of respect was met with a wave of criticism from fans on social media.

The three-time Pro Bowler later acknowledged the backlash, humorously noting that he was being criticized in Portuguese on Instagram, the official language of Brazil.

"I'm lowkey getting cooked right now. I think I'm getting cussed out in Brazilian on Instagram lol," he shared in a separate post.

Simone Biles garners support online for her actions at 2024 Olympics

People on the internet were quick to rally behind Simone Biles, defending her actions as a display of true sportsmanship.

On Facebook, one user commented, "The Olympics are all about the ideals of camaraderie and sportsmanship. Acknowledgment of a gold medal win by an opponent is the epitome of both those ideals. If only in the outside world people would adopt the same mindset perhaps there would be fewer problems."

Another remarked, "It was wonderful seeing 2 great athlete honoring another great athlete. He could learn a few things from these great women."

"Women supporting women with authentic joy is beautiful. Sometimes men forget that while we may be competitive we also have a deep bond in sisterhood," one user opined.

Another simply stated, "It was the classiest show of sportsmanship ever! We need more of that EVERY DAY in our lives."

"Wow, one of the most beautiful moments of the Olympics, so of course some nimrod has to jump in," one person wrote.

Another added, "It was the classiest show of sportsmanship ever! We need more of that EVERY DAY in our lives."

Someone else wrote, "Class and respect by two fabulous women for a third fabulous woman!" Another individual said, "They’re just being good humans. A lot of people could learn from this example."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.