Patrick Mahomes, athletes react to Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension: ‘let her run!’

From NFL and NBA players to Olympians, athletes are sharing their support for Sha’Carri Richardson.

In a heartbreaking and shocking turn of events, American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended for one month after testing positive for marijuana.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the 21-year-old’s suspension Friday morning. The positive test invalidates her 100-meter dash victory at Olympic Trials last month, preventing her from competing in the race this summer at the Tokyo Games, where she would have been a medal contender. However, there is still a chance she could compete in the 4×100-meter relay, but right now, it’s unclear if that will happen.

Friday morning, Richardson spoke openly on the TODAY show about what led to her positive test for marijuana, which is legal in Oregon, where the Olympic Trials were held, but still prohibited in competition, per World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

She explained that while preparing to compete, she also was coping and in “a state of emotional panic” during trials after doing an interview in which the reporter told her that her biological mother died.

“It definitely was a very heavy topic on me,” she said. “And people don’t really understand what it’s like to have to… put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and hide my pain.”

She received an abundance of support from fans, and several athletes —  including Patrick Mahomes, Dwyane Wade and Olympians Gwen Berry and Vashti Cunningham —spoke out against the consequences she’s facing during this traumatic time.