FanDuel has banned a customer who claimed on social media that he heckled Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas at a recent track and field meet.
The incident occurred Saturday during a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia, where Thomas competed in the women’s 100-meter sprint. A video posted by the bettor on social media shows him yelling personal insults at Thomas as she walks around the track area before the race.
He also shared a screenshot of a $1,000 parlay placed on FanDuel and claimed in the accompanying post that his heckling caused Thomas to lose, helping him win the bet.
FanDuel condemns abusive bettor
“FanDuel condemns in the strongest terms abusive behavior directed towards athletes,” the company said in a statement. “Threatening or harassing athletes is unacceptable and has no place in sports. This customer is no longer able to wager with FanDuel.”
Thomas: heckler crossed the line
Thomas addressed the incident Sunday in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the man followed her around the stadium while she was greeting fans and signing autographs, many of whom were children. She described the encounter as crossing a line and said, “Anybody who enables him online is gross.”
Thomas, 28, is one of the most decorated sprinters in the country. She won three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 200-meter dash, 4×100-meter relay, and 4×400-meter relay. She also medaled at the Tokyo Games and 2023 World Championships.
The individual, who refers to himself online as “The Track and Field Bully,” has previously posted videos of himself confronting athletes at meets.
League investigating ‘Track and Field Bully’
Grand Slam Track, the Michael Johnson–backed track league that launched earlier this year, issued a statement saying it is conducting a full investigation.
“We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary,” the league said. “We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future.
“Let us be clear, despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated.”
Online harassment linked to betting
The episode adds to a growing list of harassment complaints by athletes linked to bettors, an issue that leagues and betting operators have addressed as legal sports wagering expands across the US.
A recent NCAA study found that roughly one in eight public harassment messages aimed at college athletes involved “angry sports bettors.” More than 25% of abuse directed at athletes in high-volume betting sports, such as football and basketball, was believed to be gambling-related, according to the NCAA.
The final Grand Slam Track event of the season is scheduled for June 28–29 in Los Angeles. No additional security protocols have been announced by organizers as of Thursday morning.
