Flavor Flav continues to demonstrate his support for athletes, stepping up for Veronica Fraley, a U.S. discus thrower. Fraley, a Vanderbilt University graduate student, revealed on Twitter her inability to pay rent. “I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent,” she wrote. “My school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses.”
Flavor Flav responded swiftly, promising to cover her rent. “I gotchu, DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW,” he replied. “And imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO!” He later posted a screenshot showing a payment to Fraley, captioned, “Man of word. And Imma try and come by and support you in person tomorrow.”
Community Effort and Further Contributions
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian joined the effort, splitting the cost with Flavor Flav. Ohanian shared a screenshot of a $7,760 transaction, marking his contribution. “C’mon now! I’ll split it with @flavorflav,” Ohanian posted. He added, “Update! It is done.”
In a follow-up post, Fraley clarified that her frustration stemmed from the rules restricting her earnings as a collegiate athlete, rather than her school’s policies. “The rules bar me from making the amount I’m WORTH as a collegiate athlete such as NIL which favors popularity over performance,” she explained. “That’s all I’m sayin. Wish me luck tm!”
Fraley, the 2024 NCAA discus champion, is set to compete in the Discus Throw qualifications on Friday, with finals on August 5.
Flavor Flav’s Continued Support
This isn’t Flavor Flav’s first act of generosity towards Team USA athletes. Last month, he signed a five-year sponsorship with the Women’s and Men’s national water polo teams. As their official hype man, he made an undisclosed financial contribution to the 2024 USA Women’s Water Polo Olympic Team. Flavor Flav expressed his excitement in a press release, stating, “Supporting USA Water Polo teams is an honor. As a girl dad and a champion of all sports, I’m excited to bring my energy and voice to this incredible sport.”
U.S. Olympians have faced financial challenges amid surging inflation. Athletes like Fraley have turned to social media and crowdfunding to manage living expenses.