Keith Olbermann APOLOGIZES for calling Riley Gaines ‘homophobe’ instead of ‘transphobe’ during clash on social media

Keith Olbermann's statements against Riley Gaines ignited a storm of controversy, resulting in widespread criticism.

Keith Olbermann APOLOGIZES for calling Riley Gaines ‘homophobe’ instead of ‘transphobe’ during clash on social media

Riley Gaines and Keith Olbermann [Image Credit- The Western Journal]

On Wednesday, the winner of the 2022 OutKick Woke All-Star Challenge Keith Olbermann, once again initiated a fresh attack against former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. Despite several outlashes by fans and pundits, the 64-year-old, expended a significant amount of his influence on Twitter by targeting Gaines, 23, for her opposition to the disruption of women’s sports by biological males.

Amid the several confrontations that took place between the two, Olbermann stated that Gaines deliberately “manufactured a controversy over a nonexistent issue to cover up her swimming mediocrity.” He also apologized for calling her a “homophobe” instead of a “raging transphobe“ on his X account.

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His comments suggested that the former swimmer, Riley Gaines fabricated a dispute about a non-issue to obscure her subpar performance in the All-SEC while confronting the challenge presented by Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming National Championships.

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The distinguished designation as first-team All-SEC and recognition at the national championships are clear indicators of her excellence, contrary to Keith’s assertion. In the past when Olbermann first made his criticism against Gaines, she stated that she had to ask her father who Olbermann was, as per OutKick.

Keith Olbermann faced criticism for commenting about swimmer Riley Gaines’ sexuality

Broadcast journalist Keith Olbermann publicly rebuked former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, labeling her as displaying homophobic sentiments. This led to a pronounced exchange on the social media platform Twitter.

Riley Gaines and Keith Olbermann [Image Credit- Awful Announcing and Wikipedia]
Riley Gaines and Keith Olbermann [Image Credit- Awful Announcing and Wikipedia]

Previously, Olbermann, an erstwhile ESPN anchor, accused Gaines in a tweet of deficient swimming skills as the rationale behind her loss, alluding to the NCAA Division I Championship where transgender athlete Lia Thomas secured the victory in 2022.

Olbermann’s criticism was a riposte to Gaines’s endorsement of the nascent Women’s Bill of Rights, which Gaines deemed critical for women’s definition and preservation. Gaines’s support came as a retort to State Senator Megan Hunt’s vehement disapproval of the bill, which Hunt termed both ‘offensive’ and ‘ludicrous.’

Gaines utilized the opportunity to remind Nebraskan citizens of the forthcoming elections, suggesting a time for a reappraisal of leadership. Social media users called out Keith for being judgmental towards the highly acclaimed athlete.

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