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Christian Coleman is speaking out after his girlfriend, Sha'Carri Richardson, was arrested for domestic violence over the weekend.
“I feel like it was just a sucky situation all around,” Coleman told reporters outside of the US Championships on Sunday (Aug. 3). “I don’t feel as if she should have been arrested.”
On July 27, after leaving the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Richardson and Coleman got into a verbal altercation that turned physical, according to a police report obtained by The New York Times. She was charged with fourth-degree domestic violence after airport footage showed Richardson pushing Coleman, forcing him to fall, according to USA TODAY. Richardson stayed in custody for about 19 hours before being released on Monday, July 28, according to jail records obtained by People.
“People have discussions and emotions and stuff like that,” Coleman said. “Does she have things that she needs to work on for herself? Of course. But so do I. So do you. So does everybody. And I’m a type of guy, I’m in the business of extending grace and mercy and love. … I just look at situations like this to take a step back, analyze yourself mentally, and then just try to see what you could do to be your best self so that you can move forward.”
Coleman continued to defend Richardson calling her a “great person” and “the best female athlete in the world.” At the time of assault refused to press charges “declined to be a victim” according to the police report. Law enforcement told Coleman they had no choice but to arrest her since the airport footage showed the assault.
“She’s a human being and a great person,” Coleman continued. “And I feel like we’ve been able to be really good teammates like all year. … And she’s, to me, the best female athlete in the world. I see it every day.”
While it's unclear what started the argument, Coleman shared that the Olympic gold medalist “just has a lot of things going on.”
“A lot of emotions and forces going on inside of her that not only I can’t understand, but nobody can,” Coleman added. “Because she’s one of one. … I know that it’s been a tough journey for her this year. But she’s going to bounce back. Like I said, I see it every day. She’s the best female athlete in the world, and she’s going to be just fine. She’s going to be good. I’m going to be good, too.”
How did Sha'Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman perform at the US Championships?
Richardson ran the first round of the women’s 100m but withdrew for the following round given her bye as the reigning world champion in the event. She will run the 100m at next month’s world championships in Tokyo. However, she failed to qualify for the women's 200-meter final after placing fourth in the first heat.
Coleman competed in the 100m and 200m events at the US Track and Field Championships, but after placing fifth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m he did not qualify for the World Championships.
