Twitterstorm as Piers Morgan Calls US Gymnast Simone Biles 'Selfish' Over Olympic Event Pullout

This is not the first time Piers Morgan has waded into controversy over mental health concerns. In May, he criticised Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka after the reigning Australian and US Open champion opted to boycott the media during the French Open as she had been suffering from long bouts of depression.

Prominent British journalist Piers Morgan has faced a severe backlash on Twitter after slamming US superstar Simone Biles' decision to pull out from the women's team final, citing mental health struggles at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.

So, to sum up today’s big Simone Biles debate, snowflake Twitter is 100% adamant that walking out on teammates at work is brave, strong, inspiring and iconic - and anyone who does it should be celebrated as one of the world’s great heroes….
Good to know. 👇 pic.twitter.com/HclTrBbfY3

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2021

You can either listen to snowflake Twitter, @Simone_Biles - or listen to me. You're a great champion, & great champions get back on their feet when they get knocked down. So, re-engage in these Games, win Gold, & inspire with the power of resilience not resignation. Go for it. 👊 pic.twitter.com/RFmV37PX1F

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2021

Are ‘mental health issues’ now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? What a joke.
Just admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time.
Kids need strong role models not this nonsense.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 27, 2021

​Many social media users accused Morgan of being insensitive towards black athletes, after he lashed out at Biles, calling the American "selfish" and her withdrawal from the event a "joke".

On the other hand, others accused him of bias, saying he has been "sympathetic" towards white athletes during their mental health struggles, including former English footballer Paul Gascoigne in the past.

Piers Morgan thought coming after Simone Biles was a winning strategy to maintain his a** relevancy.

The truth is that Piers will always been a rotten English Muffin with Sour Black Tea. pic.twitter.com/aqbGAYsKOm

— Chanteezy 💛♉️ (@iamchanteezy) July 29, 2021

Between @aaron_reitz & @piersmorgan I don't know whose worst... a national embarrassment is grown men targeting a young OUTSTANDING athlete then cowardly back track what they "really meant." How about @tedcruz fleeing to mexico in the midst of a freeze being a true embarrassment?

— MsRenee (@MsReneeBeingMe) July 28, 2021

Hi @PiersMorgan, I'm on #Prozac for #anxiety. I'm a single woman. I'm white so not your usual target... If you run out of black women to abuse feel free to take a pop. #SimoneBiles is a hero who knows and speaks her truth. You could learn from her. Sadly, you won't. #PiersMorgan

— Felicity Baumflough (not my real name) (@Baumflough) July 28, 2021

The best thing we can all do with Piers Morgan’s inevitable article on Simone Biles is to ignore it.
Don’t share it, don’t click on the link, don’t comment on it.
We already know what it’s going to be like, he wants us to be outraged & share it around.

If we ignore it, he loses.

— Adam Fare 💙 (@adamfare1996) July 28, 2021

And who the hell is Piers Morgan to weigh in on someone like Simone Biles, his soft ass couldn’t even make it through a morning show without exiting stage left! pic.twitter.com/OwWFZaHfSm

— Miles (Henry H) Morales (@CalvinEllis1988) July 28, 2021

.@piersmorgan on behalf of Black America: F%&K YOU and keep #SimoneBiles name out racist raggedy a$% mouth. You should take mental health cues from these far SUPERIOR Black women who trigger you so much and go see a therapist about your anger, resentment & feelings of inadequacy. pic.twitter.com/haF6oOS5W9

— BlackWomenViews Media (@blackwomenviews) July 28, 2021

Piers Morgan has repeatedly defended Paul Gascoigne during his mental health struggles. But he won't extend the same sympathy to Naomi Osaka, Meghan Markle or Simone Biles. I wonder why. pic.twitter.com/m3dWYM5DgP

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) July 27, 2021​

​"I don't think it's remotely courageous, heroic or inspiring to quit", Morgan wrote in a column in the Daily Mail.

"When you call yourself the GOAT in sport, you can't then quit the moment things get tough or you make a mistake. Something that I'm sure Simone Biles, in her heart, must realise because she's a great champion and great champions just don't do that".

Accusing Biles of letting her team down, Morgan blamed the 24-year-old for America's failure to win gold in the Japanese capital.

"The world's greatest ever gymnast, a woman who proudly told me how she fought back after making big mistakes to win Gold, just gave up at the first hurdle of these Olympics", Morgan said.

"She left her team to fight on without their leader and supreme motivational champion, and rather than win the Gold medal they were hot favourites to win, they came second to the Russians".

Morgan also claimed it was Biles' ego that made her withdraw.

"Head star… hmmm, there's that GOAT ego rearing its head again. But if you're going to call yourself the Greatest of All Time and 'head star' then you're putting a lot of that pressure on yourself, aren't you?"

On Tuesday, Biles, widely regarded as the greatest gymnast ever, dropped a bomb at the Olympics after she announced that she'd be withdrawing from the team competition because of her deteriorating mental health and the immense pressure of the Olympics, which was draining her emotionally.

"I don’t trust myself as much anymore. Maybe it's getting older. There were a couple of days when everybody tweets you and you feel the weight of the world", Biles said after she chose to skip the final.

"Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape", Biles said. "Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn't an easy feat".

"I feel like I'm also not having as much fun. This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself, but I came in and I felt like I was still doing it for other people. It hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people", she added.

On Wednesday, Biles announced that she was also opting out of Thursday's women's individual all-round final.