Retired Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton allegedly "smelled of alcohol" and was "slurring her words" before getting arrested 

New information has emerged regarding the recent arrest of Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, as reported by Us Weekly.

As reported by the Associated Press, the 57-year-old former athlete was taken into custody this Tuesday, May 27, 2025, by West Virginia’s Fairmont Police Department, which accused Retton of "smelling like alcohol" and "slurring her words." She was arrested after officials on the scene discovered her in an inebriated condition in her Porsche.

Officials also claim to have noticed “a container of wine in the passenger seat” before Retton was cuffed on May 17, 2025, on one count of “driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs,” as mentioned in the legal filing obtained by People Magazine on Monday, May 26.

Mary Lou Retton's legal woes explored:

Associated Press has reported that after she was pulled over by cops for driving erratically, Mary Lou Retton failed a field sobriety test after she refused a breath and blood test. She later posted a $1,500 personal recognizance bond to be released from custody. She has since hired Edmund J. Rollo of Morgantown as her legal counsel.

According to Fox News, Mary Lou Retton was diagnosed with a "rare form of pneumonia" two years ago. At the time, her family announced that she was "fighting for her life." As her ailment got worse, she had to be placed in the intensive care unit for a short while. She had mentioned on NBC's Today last year:

"This is serious, and this is life, and I’m so grateful to be here,"

She had added:

"I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support."

At the time, her daughters rallied together to initiate a crowdsourcing fund to cover the hefty medical bills. However, as reported by Us Weekly, their efforts elicited a wave of backlash online, with Retton having to step in to publicly defend her daughters. The former athlete shares daughters Shayla, 30, McKenna, 28, Skyla, 25, and Emma, 22, with her former husband, Shannon Kelley.

“They didn’t deserve that,” Retton told Entertainment Tonight in May last year, per Us Weekly. “They were just trying to take care of me. I don’t care about the naysayers. There are trolls everywhere. It’s what makes us America. Everybody’s got an opinion, but it is what it is.”

The retired athlete, once lovingly referred to as "America’s sweetheart," had become the first American woman to win gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. She was only 16 years old when she did so. She had also nabbed two silver and two bronze medals.

During the interview with the outlet, she became candid about her financial setbacks after she followed through on her divorce with Kelly, right around the time COVID-19 hit. She revealed:

“[When] COVID hit, literally COVID hit — our job is to be near people and talk to them and so there was no work whatsoever. Let’s say that the height of my fame was years ago and I [was] just doing enough to make it, doing enough to pay my bills," she said at the time.

The fundraising initiative eventually raised $50,000.

Mary Lou Retton shared with the outlet:

“It’s a very long recovery, I’m still on oxygen, and I had a bit of a relapse a while ago, but I’m back and regulated. It’s just more discouragement than anything because, you know, patience isn’t one of my strong skill sets,"

She continued:

“I’m tired of this thing up my nose. … I’m a speaker and haven’t been able to work because I don’t know if I can get up on stage and do an hour-long talk like I’ve normally done for 40 years. That’s frustrating.”

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At the time of writing, neither Mary Lou Retton nor her lawyer has issued a comment on her arrest.

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