Jessica Maiolo is 31 years old paintball player for Team USA, recently she made the headlines for the wrong reason. In the TikTok video, she fat-shamed a kid who was hospitalized after being infected with COVID-19, in the video Jessica stands in front of the screen and says “Ma’am, your kid does not need a Covid shot. Your kid needs a f***ing treadmill,” and added, “That’s what he needs.” The kid in the video is 17 years old high school footballer David Espino, he was in the hospital due to Covid-19 and in the ABC segment David’s mother said that if she’d gotten him the vaccine sooner she could have been prevented it and in the same segment David Espino said: “it’s pretty scary.” Even in this situation, Jessica Maiolo was seen making fun of this kid, so many users on social media criticized Jessica for being an evil, disgusting, and vile human.
Since her TikTok video went viral Jessica has deleted her account, on August 7th, 2021 Team USA Paintball said they suspended her from the program and investigating the incident, on the team’s website they wrote “Team USA Paintball has no tolerance for discrimination or bullying of any kind. It has always been our highest priority to represent our country with integrity and respect. To the family that did not need, ask, or even deserves to be put in this position – we thank you for allowing us this chance o show where we stand. Our Investigation into the troubling conduct of Ms. Maiolo has been concluded and we have decided to remove her from the team indefinitely.” Later, Jessica Maiolo took to Instagram and apologized, she wrote “What started out as me expressing my personal opinion about something I feel quite passionately about, has turned into a moment of regret for the situation I have put my teammates, our sponsors, and the sport I love into. It was never my intention to shame any individual, my reaction to the story about the young boy actually comes from a place of deep fear that people believe they have little hope in the way of staying healthy and being in control of their own wellness.”
Then she added “How I expressed this I realize now, could never have left a different impression of me and my thoughts because the platform and the moment are meant to capture snapshots and not full pictures of who we are as real people. I know that there is much I may not know about the boy in the video and I do hope that he is well. As may be evident by the hobbies I have, I am a passionate individual. My fire is the same for paintball and fitness as it is for self-advocacy and all of the things that make me proud to live where I do,” and then continued “While I received many message requests, my teammates, sponsors, and others unaffiliated to myself have also been targeted by the backlash of my actions. They, however, are not directly involved in the situation that occurred over the weekend, and I respectfully ask that any messages and threats towards my teammates and my friends cease since they have zero involvement in this.” Later, Jessica concluded with “In the last 24 hours I have learned a lot about the power of my reach, and in the future, I will be more responsible with it. I appreciate the opportunity to see this situation from the viewpoint of others, and to learn where I can do better and will. I hope that I may inspire others to realize the power of their words too. What started out as me expressing my personal opinion about something I feel quite passionately about, has turned into a moment of regret for the situation I have put my teammates, our sponsors, and the sport I love into.”
Another player on the team, Andrea Martinez wrote on Instagram “I have been made aware of comments and posts that were made by a member of Team USA. I am currently not at practice with my team since I am still home getting over Covid-19. I want to say unequivocally that I do not condone or support the statements and views that have been made, as they do not align with my values and character in any way. I have dedicated my life to helping other people and fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable in our communities. I believe that the way to true change is lifting others up and being a positive example instead of tearing people down. Everyone who knows me knows that I take my place on this team very seriously. Representing the United States at an international level in any capacity is an honor and a privilege. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard to uphold the values and principles that our country was founded on. The road towards a more perfect union is always going to be a work in progress, fraught with setbacks and obstacles, but what I love about this country is its’ resilience in the darkest times and our capability for change. And though this road is never easy, there is value in the lessons people hopefully learn along the way. At the end of the day, I am just an individual and can only speak for myself, but I would feel I did not honor my own principles if I said nothing at all.”
Who is Jessica Maiolo, and what’s her Age?
Jessica Maiolo paintball player for Team USA and she is 31 years old.
(Image Source: NyPost)
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