The U.S. women’s gymnastics team, or the Fierce 5 as they’ve come to be known, is the hottest ticket in America right now, with their recent appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and at the Stock Exchange (above). On top of that, Gabby Douglas – who is the first black woman in history to become the individual, all-around champion in gymnastics – appeared on The Tonight Show with Michelle Obama earlier this week, and now she’s signed a deal to appear on America’s Got Talent.
Now keep in mind that Douglas is only 16-years old. That’s important because it only magnifies how sh*tty this next piece of news is.
A family feud has erupted between the estranged parents of Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas over the millions she stands to earn as a result of winning the gold medal in London, according to a new report. (Via the NY Post)
This is just awful. Why can’t Michelle Obama step in and tell her parents to screw off while she creates a bank account specifically for Gabby? Would anybody be against that?
The National Enquirer reported in this week’s editions that the bad blood centers around the many endorse¬ment deals the 16-year-old Douglas is expected to score — as much as $10 million over the next few years — after she won gold in the all-around gymnastics competition.
Her gold medal already landed her on the box of Wheaties. She could earn upwards of $100 million over her lifetime.
Gabby’s mom filed for divorce around the same time that her dad was arrested for non-violent child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. But of course he says that he’s been a great dad and he’s just doing the best he can to be a great father *cough Michael Lohan cough*
But I don’t want to take sides. I just think that the U.S. Olympics Committee should have a specialized person, above every law, that can step in for situations like this and protect Gabby and her money while her parents get their crap sorted out. And hopefully the process takes two years so she can just take all of her money and go do whatever the hell she wants with it.
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