Henry Cejudo has weighed in on Simone Biles' decision to step back amid her mental health issues.
Per The Sun, the 34-year-old UFC star took to Twitter to comment on the 24-year-old gymnast's decision to pull out of the team and individual all-around finals last week - as well as the vault, uneven bars, and floor.
Cejudo claimed in a video shared with his 196,000 followers on the platform that, as someone who previously competed in the Olympics himself, he knows that sometimes athletes need "tough love."
The wrestler stated: "I believe Simon Biles pulling out of this thing, I guess she really needs to check herself. I think this is the time for a little bit of tough love.
"If she was my sister, this is exactly what I would do. So I would never say something I wouldn't do to my personal family or anything like that."
He added:
"We don't need no 'yes men' or 'yes people' around us. What we need is somebody to check us and tell us that it's every four years [...] in order for you to go down as one of the greatest athletes of all time."
The UFC star argued against the idea the media had placed undue pressure on Biles; stating that it had only given her a platform that she had taken full advantage of.
Cejudo followed this up by posting a video of gymnast Kerri Strug at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, which he captioned: "Watch this clip and tell me this girl wasn’t feeling the pressure.
"I tell you as an Olympic champion and I know about winning. It’s simple people fold under pressure and need tuff love. I need it, you had it and she really needed it."
He added in a follow-up post: "The Olympics is truly once in a lifetime for [Biles] and her teammates.
"I can only share from experience and I just want you to know you inspired me as a 9-year-old boy, along with Kerri and the team. about desire, determination, and grit! And getting the job done!"
However, a number of other celebrities have publically supported Biles' choice to withdraw from the games, such as her boyfriend Jonathan Owens, and former FLOTUS Michelle Obama.
