Olympian comes clean on life as escort

Athletes have been known to turn to a variety of methods to either make or expand their bank accounts. Ex-Olympian Tim Montgomery took to check-cashing schemes after he went broke post a disgraceful track career. Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd allegedly invested in a cocaine and marijuana distribution business for which he is currently facing charges.



But a former track star is making headlines for a much different reason –her secret life as an escort. Three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton, 44, recently admitted to being an escort over the last year. She reportedly earned up to $600 for an hour of her 'company,' and as much as $6,000 a day. Using the name Kelly Lundy, she met with clients as far as Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Houston.

You're probably guessing she did it to support herself financially considering how low track & field athletes get paid over the course of their careers.

Wrong.

Favor Hamilton has been living in a $600,000 home with her husband and 7-year-old daughter. She had sponsorship deals with the likes of Reebok, Disney, Oakley and Clairol. She has also enjoyed considerable success as a motivational speaker and operated a real estate brokerage company with her husband in Madison, Wis. According to court records, she doesn't have any financial problems.

So what was her reason for willingly participating in the sexual escapades? Favor attempted to explain her actions through comments via Twitter.

"I was drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life. It provided an escape from a life that I was struggling in. It was a double life."

Favor has said her actions were related to her battle with depression and an eating disorder, but there's hardly any other reason to feel sorry for her. By engaging in these trysts while still married, she not only exposed her husband to the dangers of contracting an STD, but she also set a horrible example for her daughter. She carried on with her affairs despite objection from her husband, and only appeared remorseful when she knew her secret life was about to be exposed.

Though claiming full responsibility for her behavior, she also called out the client who outed her to a reporter, calling him "scum." But for someone who knowingly abused the trust she earned from her husband, she is hardly the person to call out someone else for breaking the unwritten rules of the game by outing her.

Sound like someone who's truly penitent? Not if you ask me. It's too soon to know how much of this scandal would overshadow Favor Hamilton's accomplishments as an athlete, but right now so many people who had no clue who Suzy Favor Hamilton was now know her; for a different kind of accomplishment.

And for that, she gets no sympathy from yours truly.

Nneka performs in Philadelphia.

I shot this video months ago at a Nneka concert in Philadelphia. But due to a very busy period, which has resulted in very few posts, I'm only just posting it.

Nneka is an internationally recognized singer/rapper/songwriter, based in Europe. She is of Nigerian and German descent and her music is more widely recognized in Europe. She has recorded songs and/or performed with notable artistes such as Nas, The Roots and Damian Marley. One of her most popular songs, Heartbeat, was sampled by Drake into the hit song he wrote for up and coming UK artiste Rita Ora.

Nneka's music is a fusion between hip-hop, soul and afrobeat, drawing comparisons to the likes of Lauryn Hill, Ms. Dynamite, Asa and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

She has played to large crowds numerous times. But this concert at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia was a more intimate setting. I didn't have an actual video camera, so the audio and video quality are not the best. However, if you have not been exposed to the sounds of Nneka, there's plenty of talent to be discovered from this video; including yours truly providing unsolicited backing vocals to some of my favorite songs. Enjoy.