Information that Mary Lou Retton was arrested on a DUI cost earlier this month in West Virginia is certain to boost new questions on what’s occurred lately to the adorned Olympic gymnast who as soon as got here as near anybody to defining the concept of America’s sweetheart.
Folks journal and different shops reported Monday that Retton, 57, was arrested Could 17 in Marion County, West Virginia, based on courtroom data. Retton, a local of Fairmont, a metropolis in Marion County, was booked on suspicion of 1 rely of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs,” WBOY.com additionally reported. The gold medalist on the 1984 Olympics was issued a private recognizance bond of $1,500, which she posted that very same day.
Retton’s arrest comes within the 19 months since she sparked each concern and controversy after her 4 daughters introduced in October 2023 that she had been hospitalized in Texas for a uncommon and doubtlessly lethal type of pneumonia. Her daughters stated she was “fighting for her life,” as they launched a web-based fundraising marketing campaign to assist cowl her payments for what turned out to be a month-long hospital keep. The controversy erupted when her daughters stated they wanted the cash as a result of their mom didn’t have medical health insurance.
Whereas the spotfund.com marketing campaign initially raked in $200,000 in its first day — and $459,000 whole — some within the public and the media started to ask why somebody as well-known and presumably rich as Retton didn’t have medical health insurance.
Two months after Retton’s well being disaster, she sat for an interview with the “Today” present in early 2024, saying that the “bottom line” is that she couldn’t afford medical health insurance. She blamed her plight on the COVID-19 pandemic, her 2018 divorce and pre-existing circumstances from a number of surgical procedures over time from sports-related accidents.
However criticism continued to develop over the view that Retton and her daughters had not been forthcoming about her monetary challenges, her causes for not having insurance coverage and the way they used the $459,000 from the spotfund.com marketing campaign.
After Retton made historical past in 1984 by turning into the primary American girl to win a gold medal in particular person all-around gymnastics, she turned a world celeb and signed seemingly profitable endorsement offers, together with as the primary feminine athlete to ever be featured on the entrance of Wheaties cereal containers. She served as a commentator for NBC on the 1988 Olympics, wrote a every day column for USA At present in the course of the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, co-hosted a TV collection and competed on “Dancing With the Stars.”
In 2018, Retton additionally obtained $2 million in her divorce settlement, the Each day Mail reported, and was poised to doubtlessly earn $2 million extra in compensation over a authorized dispute with the producer of her two steel hip replacements.
USA At present columnist Christine Brennan wrote that Retton and her daughters had proven an “unwillingness to answer the most basic questions about her health care.” Brennan stated these questions naturally arose as a result of Retton’s daughters had sought public donations.
Later in 2024, Retton sat for one more interview, this time from Leisure Tonight. Retton hit again at those that questioned the necessity for the crowdsourcing marketing campaign. She additionally appeared perplexed by those that requested for accountability on how the $459,000 had been spent.
“They didn’t deserve that,” Retton stated in regards to the criticism of her daughters launching the spotfund.com marketing campaign. “They were just trying to take care of me.”
“I don’t care about the naysayers,” Retton additionally stated. “There are trolls everywhere. It’s what makes us America. Everybody’s got an opinion.”
Initially Printed:
