Olympic athlete Gwen Berry claims her critics are simply "obsessed" with her.
On Monday, June 28, the 32-year-old Olympic athlete took to Twitter to share a video of a Fox News interview with Representative Dan Crenshaw.
The former Navy SEAL opined that Berry should be removed from the Olympic team after she controversially turned away from the American flag during a rendition of the national anthem at a track and field trial held on Saturday, June 26.
Per Fox News, Crenshaw stated: "It's one thing when these NBA players do it [protest during the anthem]. OK, fine, we'll just stop watching. But now, the Olympic team - and it's multiple cases of this.
"They should be removed. That should be the bare minimum requirement [...] that you believe in the country you're representing."
Retweeting the clip of Crenshaw in a post addressed to her 18,000 followers on the platform, Berry wrote simply: "At this point, y'all are obsessed with me. [sic]"
Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Berry claimed she was "set up" - claiming that she was informed by officials that the song would play before she took to the podium.
Per the above publication, Berry commented: "They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there.
"I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually, I stayed there and I swayed, I put my shirt over my head. It was real disrespectful. They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there."
She went onto explain that she turned away from the flag to protest the continued existence of racism in the United States; stating that her aim is "bigger than the sport" she wants to represent "her communities and people".
Berry continued: "I'm here to represent those who died due to systemic racism. That's the important part. That's why I'm going. That's why I'm here today.''
The Biden administration has seemingly backed up Berry's gesture of protest, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the issue in an official statement made to news reporters on Monday, June 28.
