In a series of pointed social media posts, wrestler Pat Downey has called out USA Wrestling and Flowrestling for what he describes as “blatant hypocrisy” in their handling of Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder’s recent arrest.
Snyder, one of America’s most decorated wrestlers, was detained on May 9 during a prostitution sting operation in Columbus, Ohio. Newly released bodycam footage shows Snyder being handcuffed at a Quality Inn and Suites following an undercover operation involving an online escort advertisement.
In the video, Snyder is seen complying with officers’ commands, responding with “Yes sir” throughout the encounter. According to police reports, authorities confiscated $160 in cash from Snyder, which they documented as evidence after he allegedly offered money to an undercover officer in exchange for adult services.
The 28-year-old Snyder, who has two Olympic medals, seven World Championship medals, and three NCAA National Championships to his name, was released at the scene with a court appearance scheduled for May 19.
Downey’s criticism centers on what he perceives as inconsistent disciplinary standards within the wrestling community. In Instagram posts, Downey wrote: “you can’t tweet about women wrestling not generating revenue, that loses you your house, sponsors, stipend, salary, insurance, & world team, but get caught w ur [explicit] literally out paying a [woman] for [services]; cya at final ❌”
Downey’s comments reference his own experience with USA Wrestling. In 2020, he lost his affiliation with the New Jersey Regional Training Center after engaging in a Twitter debate regarding the popularity of women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman style. During that exchange, Downey tweeted that while he would “pay to watch” certain women’s stars compete, “the average fan ain’t paying for women’s wrestling.”
The controversy resulted in Downey being dropped by NJRTC, where he had been training under coach Reece Humphrey during what had been the best year of his career. Downey later issued an apology, stating: “I have always and will always support wrestling as a whole, including women’s wrestling. THAT’S ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS. With the platform I have, it’s negligent of me not to think through the effects of my words.”
In his recent posts about the Snyder situation, Downey clarified: “my post has nothing to do with Kyle Snyder or anything to do with team Scarlet. my posts are targeted towards the blatant hypocrisy and nepotism displayed by the USA Wrestling governing body & flo wrestling. I will not stop exposing these entities until I receive an apology and reparations.”
The wrestling community now watches to see how USA Wrestling and other governing bodies will address Snyder’s situation, especially in light of Downey’s accusations of preferential treatment for certain athletes.
Snyder’s arrest came shortly after he signed a contract with the newly formed Real American Freestyle league, a venture launched by WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff.
