Four thousand miles and a lifetime of hurt stood between Shanon Biles and a front row seat at the Paris Olympics.
But nothing can diminish the pride with which she beams at the mention of daughter Simone’s triumphant return to form three years after she bowed out of the Tokyo games.
Shanon, 52, has said that she lives in hope for the day Simone reaches out so she can ask her daughter for forgiveness for the past she cannot change after her drug addiction led to her to abandon her children.
But still longs to make amends.
‘It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to do. I wasn’t able to care for them. I was still using and [my father] didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right,’ she explained to DailyMail.com
She expressed her sorrow that up to the present, she was not involved in significant life occasions, like Simone’s marriage to NFL player Jonathan Owens that took place last year.
She expressed her desire to reconcile with Simone directly and is waiting for both Simone and her younger sister Adria. She communicates with Adria more frequently than with Simone and hopes to be forgiven by her. She also requests to not be judged for her past and suggests moving forward positively. “I am anticipating the chance, but I am reliant on her to approach me. Shall we take a seat? I simply need to remain calm.”
Shanon expressed her immense pride in Simone’s Olympic performance, which solidified her as the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.), by hosting a party in the backyard of her home in Columbus, Ohio.
Friends and neighbors came together to rejoice in Team USA’s triumph on the floor, vault, and balance beam, as Simone won three gold medals and one silver medal.
The event had both positive and negative aspects.
Since losing her children, Shanon has had to develop patience.
Initially placed in foster care, her children were later adopted by her father, Ronald, 75, and his wife, Nellie. They took care of Simone and Adria, bringing them to Texas to live with them when Simone was only six years old.
Ronald’s sister took in Shanon’s two oldest children, Tevin, who is now 29, and Ashley, who is now 34.
“Ronald had to intervene when Shanon’s life became chaotic because of her addiction to drugs and alcohol, leading to her children being placed in and out of foster care in Columbus, the city they were born in and where Shanon currently resides.”
The 52-year-old racked up a string of debts and, for years, has lived in the same corner red-brick row house in the crime-ridden neighborhood of Franklinton.
According to a Chapter Seven bankruptcy petition filed in October 2018, Shanon said she didn’t have a dollar to her name and just $34 on a prepaid card.
Among her assets were two unusable cars – a totaled Toyota Scion XB 2008 and a non-roadworthy GMC Sierra 2003 – worth a combined $2,125.
She also claimed homeware, electronics, clothes, shoes and jewelry worth $9,650 and even listed her dog, cat, and guinea pig.
Shanon claimed that her home was worth just $9,684.
She owed $14,234 to 21 companies, including medical and financial services, shopping websites, and a $3,834 student loan.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, Shanon, has faced court action 36 times for various traffic misdemeanors and criminal cases.
In January 2020, she was found guilty of assault and given a 180-day suspended prison sentence and probation until January 2022.
Since 2022, she’s managed to stay out of trouble and now works as a cashier at discount grocery store Save A Lot.
Today Shanon is clean and sober, but she says very clearly, ‘I am a recovering addict and will always be an addict. But there’s a way [to recovery]. You have to learn to stay away from people, places and things. Change your routine and live your life. Live your best life.’
When asked how her life looks today Shanon speaks with the caution that comes with recovery, ‘I’m not working right now because of medical issues but when I do work, I work as a cashier at Save A Lot.
‘I’m not the person I used to be. I’m okay, today. I’m a loving person. I’d give you the shirt off my back. I’m very different from what I’ve been portrayed.’
But however much she may have changed over the years, the distance between her and Simone has not. Their thin relationship is characterized not by conflict so much as by absence – primarily the absence of any direct communication.
Shanon explained, ‘What I hear about Simone I hear through my dad. I speak to my dad all the time. We’re good now. It was just his birthday, and I called to wish him happy birthday.’
Several time zones away, Ronald celebrated that birthday with Simone, Adria and Nellie in Paris with Adria taking to Instagram to post a picture of him in the Olympic stands and reveal that he had been gifted a Death Row Records chain by Snoop Dogg.
Shanon said, ‘If I need to know anything I call my dad. I ask him about Simone, and he keeps me posted.’
There was a time when Shanon resented her father. In the immediate aftermath of Simone and Adria’s adoption she felt that he had betrayed her and cut off all contact between her and her children.
‘When we signed the [adoption] papers it was like my dad flipped a switch on me – no communication, don’t call, and don’t visit. That’s how it was in the beginning.
‘It took me six years before I saw my children again. I was respecting my Dad to let the kids transition, he felt that was the best thing for them.
‘It was hard to give up my kids, but I had to do what I had to do. I wasn’t able to care for them. I was still using and he didn’t want me coming in and out of their lives when I wasn’t right.
‘I was hard-headed. I didn’t care, screaming, ‘I want to see my kids, why you doing this to me?’
‘I didn’t understand at the time but years later, I understood why. I had to deal with me first.’
Biles and her sister Adria, 22, a former gymnast, were brought up by Ronald and Nellie over 1,000 miles away from Shanon in Houston, Texas.
Meanwhile, her two elder siblings, Ashley and Tevin Biles-Thomas, were raised by Ron’s sister Harriet in Cleveland and have been in trouble with the law.
According to court records Ashley, 34, has been a defendant in civil, traffic and criminal cases 29 times since 2009.
She was given a suspended prison sentence in August 2021 for driving while impaired. On Facebook in August 2022 she posted that ‘just got out the prison joint’ – although it’s not known why she was in.
In 2019, she was found guilty of assault and sentenced to 180 days in jail – with all but 25 days suspended – and two years probation.
Other offenses include being arrested for various drunk-driving, drug and weapon offenses, theft and counterfeiting, with short stints in prison.
In June 2021, Tevin, the brother of Simone, was found not guilty of shooting three individuals at a New Year’s Eve gathering in 2018 because of insufficient evidence.
Simone’s biological dad, Kevin Clemons, who resides in Cleveland, has no communication with his daughter and previously battled with addiction issues.
Shanon remains connected with him and mentioned that he also desires to repair his bond with his well-known daughter. Shanon expressed a desire to see Simone and mentioned that she talks to him frequently.
He also mentioned that if Shanon talks to Simone, she should give her his number as he would like to speak with her. However, Shanon is unable to directly communicate with Simone and must instead go through her father. Shanon is still unaware of the extent to which Simone and her sister are aware of the events from those days, and she hopes to have the chance to explain to them the truth of what happened.
She expressed her desire to convey her love and pride to the person, but mentioned that she is currently waiting.
Shanon possesses Simone’s phone number, however, she has never made the decision to contact her, believing that it is Simone who should initiate the communication.
She stated that she cannot continue to focus on it. She expressed her readiness and willingness to receive whenever the person is prepared.
I have a contact number, but I prefer not to use it. I hope that she will contact me instead. She is currently 27 years old and married.
I would have wanted to be involved in her life, but I have to be patient and wait for her to reach out. It’s not right to pressure anyone.” “I have not seen it occur as of now, but I am willing to wait because I am patient.
I am anticipating her arrival.” Directly addressing Simone, she expressed her willingness to have a conversation and address any queries she might have.
She emphasized the importance of hearing the truth from her directly rather than relying on hearsay.