After being suspended for using a black hand emoji during a Twitter debate with President Trump, Trek-neo-pro Segafredo’s reacts.
A black hand emoji was used by American rider Quinn Simmons, who later apologized, saying he “did not want for it to be viewed that way.”
This week, the 19-year-old got himself into trouble after exchanging tweets with Dutch cycling journalist and broadcaster Jose Been.
Simmons responded to Been’s request for her fans who favor American President Donald Trump to unfollow her by tweeting “Bye” and a hand-waving emoji with a black skin tone.
After Simmons responded, a different Twitter user enquired as to whether the cyclist was a “Trumper,” to which the rider responded, “That’s true.”
The use of a black hand emoji by Simmons in his Twitter comments was immediately criticized as racist.
On Thursday night, the reigning Junior World Champion apologized after being suspended by his Trek-Segafredo squad.
“I have always been honored to represent my country as an American rider.” It has always been an ambition of mine to ride for an American team. The American values this club represents were a huge factor in my decision to support them, said Simmons.
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I can assure people who believed the emoji’s hue to be racist that I did not intend for it to be taken that way. I sincerely apologize to anyone who found this upsetting. I vehemently oppose racism in all its forms.
“Anyone who disagrees with me politically is free to do so,” I replied. I won’t hold it against you. I only have one question.
Simmons has been placed on indefinite leave of absence by the Trek-Segafredo team, although it has been made clear that this is not due to his political views; rather, it is because Simmons “engaged in dialogue on Twitter in a way that we believed was behaviour unbefitting a Trek athlete.”
The manager of the Trek-Segafredo team, Luca Guercilena, stated that the group hoped to collaborate closely with Simmons in the future.
Our athletes are held to the same high ethical standards as the rest of the Trek crew and administration, according to Guercilena.
If Quinn can make the most of this chance to develop himself and help ensure the future of cycling, we think he has a promising career as a professional athlete. We’re still dedicated to doing everything we can to support Quinn.
Regarding Simmons’ potential return for this season, the team remained silent. In October, the 19-year-old was supposed to make his Spring Classics debut.
