Olivia Dunne fired back at a troll who questioned her fifth and final year of college eligibility.
The 22-year-old, who has become one of the biggest names in college sports over the past few years, returned for a fifth of eligibility at LSU in the Fall, which she was granted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, that season came to a heartbreaking end last week when the social media sensation emotionally announced that she had fractured her kneecap.
The devastating injury saw Dunne miss the final home meet of her Tigers career. However, the gymnast, sporting a knee brace, was present for the Senior Night ceremonies in Baton Rouge last Friday.
Yet, one critic seized Senior Night as a chance to take aim at Dunne. In the comments of her post commemorating the evening, they wrote: ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be a senior for the next 10 years.’
An incensed Dunne furiously fired back, asking, ‘Why do you care?’
Olivia Dunne fired back at a troll who questioned her fifth and final year of college eligibility
The 22-year-old returned for the fifth and final year with LSU granted to her due to Covid-19
‘I don’t really understand what’s so hard to get,’ Dunne began in a video shared with her 8 million TikTok followers.
‘I came to college in 2020, got granted a fifth-year because of COVID and I came back for the fifth year. I only see this comment on female athletes’ posts, and why do you care if I come back for a fifth year and have another year of eligibility? Like why do you care?’
Dunne went on to highlight that she isn’t the only student athlete to seize the chance to extend their college careers, even providing an example in Baton Rouge.
‘The starting quarterback of LSU is coming back for a fifth year, this comment is nowhere to be found on his account,’ she continued, referring to Garrett Nussmeier.
‘People commenting stuff like this obviously were never a college athlete or never loved a sport, so, like, you’re not funny. Why do you care what I’m doing with my life? Please stop.’
Others had targeted Dunne by claiming it was ‘greedy’ for her to return but she instantly set the record straight.
‘To the people saying it’s greedy to come back, I gave up my scholarship to somebody else so I can come back. So please stop, thank you,’ Dunne stated.
On the eve of last week’s meet, Dunne, who last competed on January 24 in the Tigers’ meet at Arkansas, revealed the shock news of her injury on Instagram, saying: ‘Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with an avulsion fracture of my patella (kneecap) and will not be able to compete on senior night.
Dunne pictured with her boyfriend, the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB sensation Paul Skenes
Dunne pictured alongside golf influencer Paige Sprianac at a Sports Illustrated event
Dunne announced the news of her devastating injury on her Instagram account
‘It absolutely breaks my heart to not get the opportunity to compete in the PMAC one last time.
‘Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me! Thank you for the endless support and as always Geaux Tigers!’
Dunne’s status as it stands is unclear – despite the serious-sounding nature of her knee issue, she was only prepared to rule herself out of Friday’s meet for now.
But it might be that she has already competed for LSU for the last time. What her future holds from here is unknown but Dunne will have an array of high-profile options to choose from.
Her social media following is massive – she boasts 5.3million Instagram followers and another 8m on TikTok.
She has already appeared in several lucrative commercials, including one alongside Travis Kelce for an energy drink. Dunne has also posed for a photoshoot for the prestigious Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.
Overall, she is believed to have already accumulated a wealth of around $6million before embarking on what many predict to be her more lucrative years after college.
Dunne is also dating Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes – already regarded as one of the best in MLB after a stunning rookie season.
Just days ago, Dunne was celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans. She was given the honor of being named Grand Marshall for the 2025 Krewe of Endymion parade through the Big Easy on Saturday.