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."
Watch Cejudo's video right here: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.
