Veronica Fraley is scheduled to compete on the Paris Olympics for the primary time Friday.
So now most likely isn’t a great time for distractions — like, say, hire being due again dwelling in Nashville and never having the funds to cowl it.
Fortunately, hip-hop pioneer Taste Flav, billionaire Alexis Ohanian and others have Fraley lined.
Fraley was a second-year graduate scholar at Vanderbilt College when she received the NCAA discus championship whereas setting a college document together with her throw of 208 toes and 10 inches in Eugene, Ore., in June. She made the U.S. nationwide workforce within the occasion a number of weeks later on the Olympic trials.
However the day earlier than her Olympic debut, Fraley had one thing else on her thoughts.
“I compete within the Olympic Video games TOMORROW and may’t even pay my hire,” Fraley wrote Thursday on X earlier than including that “my college solely despatched about 75% of my hire whereas they pay soccer gamers (who haven’t received something) sufficient to purchase new vehicles and homes.”
Fraley clarified in a subsequent X submit that “my irritation isn’t with the college itself, primarily the principles that bar me from making the quantity I’m WORTH as a collegiate athlete” whereas title, picture and likeness offers typically favor “reputation over efficiency. that’s all I’m sayin.”
Flav is in Paris because the official hype man for the U.S. water polo groups. He has additionally pledged to assist again the ladies’s water polo workforce financially. However apparently the Public Enemy co-founder’s help isn’t restricted to only one sport. He noticed Fraley’s preliminary submit and provided to assist.
I gotchu,,, DM me and I’ll ship fee TODAY so that you don’t have to fret bout it TOMORROW,,, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO,!!!
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) August 1, 2024
“I gotchu,” Flav responded. “DM me and I’ll ship fee TODAY so that you don’t have to fret bout it TOMORROW,,, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO,!!!”
Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder who’s married to tennis nice and four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams, additionally commented on Fraley’s submit, providing to separate Fraley’s hire with Flav.
However Ohanian ended up doing greater than that. He shared a screenshot that confirmed he had transferred $7,760 to Fraley, an quantity he selected as a nod to his expertise agency Seven Seven Six.
Fraley additionally arrange a web based fundraiser to “help my observe and area journey as I begin my skilled athletic profession and proceed to symbolize workforce USA!”
Later, Flav posted on X that Fraley wouldn’t have to fret about making hire for the following a number of months.
“This [is] the facility of group,” he wrote. “my lady @vmfraley had 7000 individuals see her tweet,, solely 41 individuals ‘appreciated’ it,, solely 5 individuals commented,, just one tagged me and @alexisohanian. Now that tweet been seen by 10 MILLION individuals,, her hire paid off for the yr,, and other people gots her again!”
Ohanian added: “Now she will deal with getting that {hardware}!”
Now she will deal with getting that {hardware}! 😤 Additionally come be my visitor for @athlos on Sept 26!
— Alexis Ohanian 🇦🇲 (@alexisohanian) August 1, 2024
That’s what Fraley intends to do.
“This makes each distinction within the WORLD,” she wrote in a submit to Ohanian and Flav, “& I hope to symbolize workforce USA effectively this week.”