The hip-hop artist and the Reddit co-founder have come to the aid of track and field athlete Veronica Fraley, who was struggling to pay her rent amidst her Olympic debut.
- August 2, 2024
AceShowbiz - Flavor Flav and Alexis Ohanian, known for their philanthropy, offered financial assistance to Veronica Fraley, a Vanderbilt University graduate student and track and field athlete, after she expressed her rent payment struggles on X.
Fraley, who was set to compete in the women's discus throw at the 2024 Olympics, revealed that her school had only covered 75% of her rent while paying football players substantial salaries.
In response to Fraley's post, Flavor Flav, 65, wrote that he would immediately send her payment to cover the remaining rent. He also pledged to support her in the competition. Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian also joined the effort, offering to split the payment with Flav. Ohanian later shared a screenshot of a Venmo transaction showing he had sent Fraley $7,760.
Flav has become a notable supporter of athletes at the 2024 Olympics. Aside from financially assisting Fraley, he is also a sponsor for the US women's and men's water polo teams. While in Paris for the Games, Flav met with First Lady Jill Biden, expressing his appreciation for her support of the Olympians.
Fraley expressed her gratitude to both Flav and Ohanian in a follow-up post, noting that their assistance made a significant difference in her situation. However, she clarified that her frustration stemmed from NCAA rules that restrict collegiate athletes from earning fair compensation based on their performance, favoring popularity over skill.
Veronica Fraley, the 2024 NCAA discus champion, will compete in Group B of the women's discus throw on Friday, August 2.
