Usain Bolt says he’s being used a scapegoat amid police investigation into his birthday party where he might’ve contracted COVID-19.
Since the firestorm around his surprise birthday party weeks ago, Usain Bolt has been laying low and resting up after contracting the coronavirus. But the life of the most prolific athlete alive doesn’t slow down for long, and the ‘greatest of all time’ was spotted jet-setting just this afternoon.
Captioning his black and white upload “SCAPE- “GOAT,” Bolt turned all the attention to the cryptic comment, taking a jab at public speculation and ongoing investigations into his birthday soirée. The eight time Olympic gold medalist feels he’s been unfairly labeled as irresponsible while other COVID contributing activities are outright sanctioned or simply left unchecked.
Social media erupted after clips of the birthday bash surfaced, as many of the big name guests in attendance were not adhering to protocol stipulations. Bolt was actually the only patron who contracted the infectious illness, and his celebrity friends have since confirmed they’re COVID negative amid the public’s condemnation. As the outrage lingered, Jamaica’s COVID cases have been on the uptick, likely owing to the island’s recently concluded elections and several other factors. On Sunday, September 13, The Gleaner published an update on the police investigation into Bolt’s party, stating that within another two weeks, the case would be presented to the DPP.
But Bolt seems confident he’s not to blame for breaching COVID-19 risk management protocols or infecting others at his event. Last week, it was revealed that a permit had, in fact, been obtained for the August 21 affair even though the Prime Minister insisted no special treatment would be meted out or exemptions given. The island’s entertainment industry, however, has gone dormant due to events being placed on hold to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The shade in Bolt’s caption was not lost on the sprint legend’s fans and followers, who also noted the unfair nature of the current allegations. One Instagram user wrote, “One party infect a whole country. Never mind the elections campaigns and numeration day antics. Caption on point,” while another quipped, “Same suh! Dem need to charge themselves too for campaign gatherings!! “ScapeGoat.” As COVID cases surge and with tighter lockdowns expected, however, we’ll keep you posted on whether Bolt can also manage to outrun the law.
