Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Thomas Loses Her Calm in Online Feud With NCAA Athlete Ahead of Season Opener

“GabbyThomas doesn’t sound like she’s the brightest out there.” Comments like these can make anyone’s morale plunge, right? But Gabby Thomas has been taking it with a pinch of salt. Yes, she’s been at the forefront of a social media backlash, all of which started when fans raised eyebrows over her outfit for the Unrivaled event. From there to her education and her skin color, things escalated quickly. And now, it’s made her land in hot water with an NCAA athlete.

However, the Paris Olympics 3x gold medalist hadn’t sealed her lips shut in the meantime. She’s been clapping back this whole time, initially with a hint of sarcasm. Until the disbelief kicked in, “Today, on Jan 26, 2025, there are hundreds of people commenting on my Twitter page that specifically because I am black, they must assume I did not earn my admission into Harvard nor did I earn my diploma. Is this real life??” But with an NCAA athlete now jumping into the picture with his opinion on Thomas’ comment, this could very well be the start of a new beef.

On January 27, a day after Gabby Thomas posted her reply, Erin Brown took to X to give his two cents. The NCAA athlete wrote, “You made it seem like cause you went to Harvard that mean you’re smart… and that’s like saying just because you’re from the hood you’re tuff. But people suggested you got in because of DEI which could indeed be true. Don’t make you any less smart. Or you could’ve got in for athletics which could be true as well which could also be true. But don’t matter at the end of the day, if you didn’t care what strangers online say this wouldn’t even be a conversation.”

The fact that Erin Brown had such a detailed take on the matter did not settle well with Gabby Thomas, who slammed back with, “Atp you seem a little too obsessed with me …weirdo.” However, the athlete could not make sense of how his giving his opinion was being labeled as obsessive behavior. No wonder he replied, “I make a tweet giving my opinion now I’m obsessed… ok” In fact, when a few fans sided with Gabby, she was boosted enough to reveal that he’d thrown a fit when she’d blocked one of his burner accounts back in 2024 too.

However, Brown did not mince his words as he went on to question, “So me covering track and talking about professional track athletes when that’s what I get paid to do makes me obsessed? Ok and I don’t have no burner account @itsgabbyt stop saying that sh*t! Why would I make a fake account when I can say what ever I want on this account.” In response, Gabby reposted his tweet from August 2024 that read, “Damn what Gabby Thomas block me on Instagram for.”

Despite the proof from Thomas, Brown continued to stand his ground that he had no burner account. And thus, Gabby Thomas continued to call him an outright liar. Until Brown stepped in with his final words that cleared the picture: he’s no longer rooting for Team Gabby for sure. Dipped in sarcasm, he wrote, “And thanks Gabby  Unfortunately I’m not wishing you the best I’m wishing you a little less than the best. Hope you remain healthy and thriving and I’m wishing more silver and bronze medals on you.”

Well, Erin Brown is an NCAA track and field athlete who is known for his stark opinions on matters related to the sport and its athletes. He’s generally aware of most of it that’s happening in the game, and he hardly gatekeeps his opinion. But not like he’s doing all that without his own track involvement. Just in 2024, he competed for Grand Canyon and bagged 3 medals at the Western Athletics Conference Outdoor championships.

However, Brown’s take on Gabby Thomas’ reaction to her fans has clearly riled the athlete up, especially when she’s going through a rough patch. But she has her people who are stepping up in her support too.

Alexis Ohanian steps up to side with Athlos star Gabby Thomas

Serena William’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, has been that one man who has stood up for women track athletes like hardly anyone has. Inaugurating Athlos NYC, he’s upped the ante for some of the most talented and deserving women in the sport. And through it all, the ideation and the execution, Gabby Thomas was a staunch endorser of his campaign. Guess it’s his time to stand up for her now! And the Reddit founder’s doing just that.

Looking at how people were tossing racial hate at Gabby, Alexis Ohanian bluntly called them out as “Clowns, not people.” Well, it’s indeed unacceptable for anyone to be discredited based on their appearance at an event or their skin color. And when this happened with Gabby, Alexis took a stand for her. Especially with the 2025 season having just started, Thomas needs to be in the correct frame of mind, right?

Starting with the Grand Slam Track in April, she is looking forward to a stellar season for sure. But now that this has escalated into a full-blown tussle right at the start of the year, will Gabby Thomas still manage to achieve her goals? Let us know what your opinion is!