Erin Brown has brought an uncomfortable part of Sam Blaskowski’s past back into the spotlight after sharing old material from the American sprinter’s teenage years. The resurfaced posts include a video of Blaskowski singing along to a song while repeatedly using a racial slur and laughing, along with screenshots of Snapchat posts containing racist language, including one involving a joke about Black people and swimming. The material has since spread online, putting the 23-year-old sprinter under fresh scrutiny.
The situation took another turn on September 23, when Blaskowski addressed the resurfaced posts in an Instagram statement. “Almost seven years ago I shared two posts on social media that included a racial slur and what I thought at the time was a joke. It was not,” Blaskowski wrote, acknowledging that he had faced and accepted consequences when the posts were originally made.
The sprinter then offered a direct apology for the language he used. “First there are no excuses to use this type of language ever. I take full ownership of what I said and want to sincerely apologize for using these words, I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself,” Blaskowski wrote.
The statement also re...