That’s a bunch of crap.. How do you know what her economics are? I happen to know she grow up with both parents. Both parents are professionals. BTW, Some of the biggest THUGS in the world are white and they also grow up in good homes. It’s a matter of doing right or wrong. So if you want to talk about stereotypes ..lets do that. Don’t let the starched pin point shirt and the polished wing tips fool you.

Look at the THUG criminals on Wall Street today. Again white THUGS who have destroyed more lives and assisted with more suicides than the mad doctor Jack kevorkian from the 80s .. Oh, did I mention he was a thug too. As far as I’m concern, they might as well have put the gun to the head 100s of people and pulled the trigger. They have destroyed livehoods and life savings.

If you want to see destuction just watch the white man .. The Barbarian Cometh. But yet they are or admired as a noble savages but when blacks display bad behavoir “it’s just expected and there is nothing noble about it”. You would have me believe they are a product of their environment .. Well, if so it was learned from white folks.

Lets look at slave Willie Lynch. This is where we get the word LYNCHING. Need I say more? Please lets not start name the THUGS from this era.

So, be careful of the WHITE THUG cause they will take your property and your life and you won’t even see it coming. So let go of your socioeconomic bullshit cause you too have thug traits …its just in you.

A thug is a thug is a thug … RED, WHITE or BLUE. I don’t trust any of you.

Your point about innocence and sheltering is very interesting. Even those of us that never came close to elite status (like me) remember the gym as a safe haven where we can “rebel” against our parents yet still have to listen to the coaches. It made avoiding peer pressure much easier.

However, it does make the transition to adulthood and making choices difficult. I can’t speak for everybody here, but many of the top level gymnasts in my gym and even the lower level gymnasts had a lot of trouble making their own decisions and being independent because we never had to do those things. I imagine an elite level gymnast who goes through many competitions, trials, and training camps listening to criticism (even constructive can hurt sometimes) and seeking approval would have a hard time doing this.

This may be the case with Miss Sinclair, but it’s still not excusable that she was breaking the law. If her boyfriend had hurt someone with these guns, we wouldn’t be so forgiving. She should have gone to the police or even her coaches first. It’s a shame if she felt she had nowhere else to turn.

… When I first posted this story, my mind-set was that Melanie is a privileged, academic celebrity. Not that she was black.

How did she even meet that guy? Gymnasts have no time except for training and homework.

The majority of College gymnasts don’t have boyfriends.

… But I’m not sure Melanie can get back on the Team this season. What a shame with Nationals at home.

And John Oakman — Shut up and go away!! We don’t need that kind of crap on this website. You are obviously mis-informed if you know so little about reality that you think that this is true. Do some research and save us from your ignorant comments.