It’s been all over the news. U.S. gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympic Games in Tokyo to focus on her mental well-being.

What a courageous act. After posting on social media that she was feeling “the weight of the world” on her shoulders one of the greatest athletes alive, and what many consider the face of the 2021 games, unveiled her mental health challenges in front of us all. She showed such strength in making the difficult decision to pull-out of the competition rather than risking the possible repercussions of competing in such a dangerous mental state

But while many of us are in awe of her bravery and are feeling proud to see the support she seems to have from her coaches, doctors, and the Olympic Committee, others are outraged by the olympian who “quit.”

I’m seeing comments flood social media stating that Simone Biles should be “defunded,” that quitting should not be glorified, that mental health should not be an “excuse,” and that she let her team down.  

Because of my experience and education these comments lit a fire in me. I have seen too many times the damage that neglecting or stigmatizing mental health challenges has on athletes. I’ve faced my own battles, I’ve counseled collegiate athletes fighting internal demons, I have had friends try to end their lives due to athletic pressure, and I have read plenty of news stories about the athletes who disguised their mental health challenges until it was too late.

Madison Holleran for example, was a highly competitive Ivy league runner who, in 2014, jumped off a Philadelphia parking garage and ended her life. The pressure she faced to be the perfect student and athlete weighed too heavily on her. She expressed her desires to quit the team, but the internal and external pressure to compete were forceful. Could quitting have saved her life? I’m not sure. But by continuing to force a smile through the pain and suffering she was experiencing she lost her life.

Another example is Kathy Ormsby who, in 1986, ran off the track during competition and bee-lined to a bridge where she jumped almost to her death. She had been very obviously suffering from mental distress and in her attempt to hide it, she cracked. Ormsby miraculously lived through this suicide attempt but after falling 35 feet to the ground she was paralyzed from the waist down.

So when are we going to learn that when someone tells us they are struggling with their mental health, we need to believe them?

Simone Biles has been open about her challenges with mental health long before the events in Tokyo. She admitted to reporters last year that following the abuse she suffered from former team doctor, Larry Nassar, she was “very depressed,” and sleeping all the time because it was the “closest thing to death without harming [herself].”

This week, Simone was worried for her safety and chose to protect her life and people are angry about it? I don’t understand.

Athletes are expected to display an image of toughness, grit, and resilience. A physical injury is an acceptable reason to back out of competition, but a mental one is not because society is too afraid to lose the falsified image of unbreakable athletes. Things are changing in the world of athletics & mental health, and Simone Biles is the face of that change right now. Thank you, Simone, for putting this conversation at the forefront of the Olympic Games. I’m happy you have so many people backing you, and I hope you are ignoring the trolls and getting the help you deserve.