A Team USA paintballer has been kicked off the team indefinitely after she fat-shamed a teenager hospitalized with Covid-19.
Jessica Maiolo, 31, a Team USA Paintball player, has been removed from the squad for mocking 17-year-old David Espino, claiming that he needs "f**king treadmill" more than a vaccine, the Daily Mail reports.
In the now-deleted TikTok video, Maiolo reacts to a news report about the high school all-star player from Florida, and it was immediately met with extreme backlash on the social media platform.
The Daily Mail reports that some commenters compared her to a "Hallmark Christmas movie villain" for mocking a sick child.
Watch a repost of the video below:The athlete shared a statement on Instagram on Monday (August 9) explaining her actions, writing that it was "never my intention to shame any individual."
"What started out as me expressing my personal opinion about something I feel quite passionately about, has turned into a moment of regret for the situation I have put my teammates, our sponsors and the sport I love into," she added.
Team USA, which is not affiliated with the Olympics, went on to post a statement about the incident on social media on August 10 after initially suspending Maiolo pending an investigation.
"Our investigation into the troubling conduct of Ms. Maiolo has been concluded and we have decided to remove her from the team indefinitely," the team said in a statement.
"Playing for Team USA Paintball means representing the sport at the highest level and being a leader both on and off the field. We are an eclectic mix of culture, opinions, and ideas - and that's what makes our sport so great.
"We cannot tear each other down, both within our community and out. We are hopeful that this will serve as a valuable lesson for anyone paying attention."
CBS News reports that children now account for 15% of all Covid-19 cases in the US, with 94,000 cases being reported in young people between July 29 and August 5, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The prevalence has been put down to the children being too young to be vaccinated or coming from unvaccinated families.
