More than a week after a now-viral video showing him using racist language drew widespread backlash, sprinter Sam Blaskowski issued an apology and has been removed from Star Athletics.
Blaskowski released a lengthy apology in a post on social media on Wednesday and said the video where he uses the N-word repeatedly was recorded nearly seven years ago and that he understands the implications of the fallout caused through the content, which recently resurfaced.
“First there are no excuses to use this type of language ever,” he said. “I take full ownership of what I said and want to sincerely apologize for using these words, I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself.”
The video was shared on Snapchat and would have been recorded in 2019 based on the timeline Blaskowski provided. He admitted to recording the video where he is shown dancing and gesturing to the camera as he repeatedly says the N-word while holding a pizza wheel cutter in his left hand.
Blaskowski also said that she shared a photo of a black male at indoor pool with the caption: “imagine posting this. why can’t black people swim ? cause shit don’t float.”
“My first priority is to try to repair the relationships of those who I have been blessed to be around these past few years… my coaches, my teammates and the track and field community,” Blaskowski said. “I have spent this week in outreach and conversations to attempt to rebuild the bridges of trust I have damaged.”
Blaskowski trained with Florida-based Star Athletics, which has a predominantly Black roster of athletes and features some of the biggest names in track, including OSha’Carri Richardson, Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.
The club is led by Dennis Mitchell and released a separate statement on Wednesday on social media confirming that Blaskowski had been kicked off of the team and that it would not tolerate racism or discrimination.
“We are deeply concerned by the comments made some time ago by a member of our club,” the statement from the club read. We take this matter with the upmost seriousness. The values of inclusivity, respect and accountability are foundational to our organization. We have actively reviewed this situation internally and have determined the appropriate next steps is to have Sam Blaskowski leave Star Athletics in alignment with our code of conduct.”
Both statements were released around the same time Wednesday afternoon and neither Blaskowski nor Star Athletics allowed comments about the matter to be posted on their social media accounts.
“We remain firmly committed to fostering a safe, diverse and welcoming environment for all athletes, staff and members of the running community,” Star Athletics also said in its statement.
But on other social media accounts within the track and field world, reactions remained heightened, with some users questioning why Blaskowski did not address the video and photo earlier and if his sponsor Nike would issue its own statement on the matter.
Others targeted prominent personalities, bloggers and media in the sport who rushed — and were eager — to promote and interview Blaskowski in May when he ran a 9.89 in the men’s 100m in May at the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, but remained noticeably muted when the video and photo were revealed and continue to ignore what has sparked significant conversation at the beginning of the offseason.
The photo and video first resurfaced on social media platform X and have now been confirmed by Blaskowski to have originated from his own Snapchat account, spread to other platforms and quickly racked up a wave of comments demanding an explanation.
Blaskowski noted in his statement that with his removal from Star Athletics he also wanted to give “everyone time to process” and did not want to be a distraction as he figures out his next move within the sport.
“The second priority for me is to be a better leader for change and acceptance well beyond the athletic world,” Blaskowski said. “That will take a lifetime to do, but it is my goal and I will work hard to achieve it.”
