Olympic Athlete Struggles with Rent, Reddit Co-Founder and US Rapper Step In to Help

American track and field athlete Veronica Fraley faces a pressing issue ahead of her Paris Olympics 2024 appearance: she can’t afford her rent.

In a post on X yesterday, the 24-year-old discus thrower shared her financial struggle, stating, “I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent.” She added, “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.” According to Forbes, Fraley is an athlete at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following her social media post, rapper Flavor Flav and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian stepped in to offer assistance.

“I gotchu. DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW,” responded Flavor Flav, whose real name is William Drayton Jr.

Alexis Ohanian soon followed with a promise to share the cost with the rapper. “C’mon now! I’ll split it with Flavor Flav,” wrote Ohanian, a vocal supporter of women athletes and the husband of tennis champion Serena Williams.

The Reddit co-founder later posted a screenshot of the transaction, confirming Fraley received $7,760.

Veronica Fraley also posted an update, clarifying that she was not upset with Vanderbilt but with “the rules that bar me from making the amount I’m WORTH as a collegiate athlete such as NIL which favors popularity over performance.”

“NIL” stands for “name, image, and likeness.” It refers to the rights of college athletes to profit from their personal brand, including earning money from endorsements, social media, and other ventures related to their name, image, or likeness.