Former Olympic gold medalist Fred Kerley’s career has been in jeopardy since March. He received a two-year ban for anti-doping whereabouts failure, and was ordered to pay $3000 as legal fees to World Athletics as a result. The USA sprinter, however, refuses to comply.

Reacting to the email about his pending fine, he took to X to react to the still outstanding fine: “Ya’ll though, y’all pay my legal fees, then we talk, because that lady said she don’t care about my kids,” Kerley wrote on X.

Amidst this confusion, Kerley has already defaulted on the fine once and has been sent a second notice.

“We write to inform you that World Athletics has not yet received your payment of 3000 as a contribution towards the legal costs and other expenses incurred by World Athletics in the context of the proceeding SR/312/2025,” the most recent message read. “Please arrange for payment of the above amount by no later than 9 June 2026,” the email read.

Previously, after the fine was first revealed, Kerley had a much more elaborate reaction on X.

Sharing his frustration, Kerley had written, “The AIU runs a case on me, then orders me to pay $3000 to World Athletics… So the same system that prosecutes the case thinks I should also pay their legal costs?”

He questioned how athletes, whose income depends on their  performances and labor, are supposed to finance legal battles against the same entity that makes their payments.

Pointing a finger at the system, he wrote, “And let’s be real… if athletes weren’t constantly getting targeted with whereabouts violations and cases, how would this whole system even fund itself? Meanwhile this is the same organization where an audit found over $1.5 million stolen internally by staff. Millions can go missing inside the system… but the athlete is the one being told to pay the bill.”

The Olympics were different in the late ’90s and early 2000s. The Games, although huge, were not as grand as they are today, especially when it came to money. Today’s athletes need significant funding to maintain the quality of their training and access the right facilities.

Preparing for the Olympics is a long-term commitment, and many lesser-known athletes struggle financially because they do not have major endorsement deals. That’s where the frustration comes from.

Will Fred Kerley never officially race again?

At 31 years old, Fred Kerley is supposed to be in the prime of his racing career. Only four years ago, he became the 100m world champion in Oregon. However, his two-year ban has raised serious doubts over his professional career. If he is needed to serve the entire term, that means no event for Kerley until 11 August 2027.

Kerley can still appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He argues that most of his missed doping tests weren’t his fault. On 11 May 2024, Kerley claims the USADA app experienced technical glitches. The 31-year-old blamed the Doping Control Officer for missing tests scheduled on December 6 and 7. However, it does seem like Kerley has moved on.

In a stunning turn of events, Kerley took part in the recently held Enhanced Games. The controversial event encourages doping among athletes. However, Kerley ran the 100m clean, without any enhancements, and still bagged gold.

About not using any drugs, Kerley said, “God gave me fast feet for a reason. I’m here to showcase my talent. You still have to work. Drugs aren’t going to give you an advantage if you’re not putting the work in.”

His price for winning stood at $250,000. Since the Enhanced Games go completely against the principle of a disciplined board, such as the Olympics, there’s a chance Fed Kerley faces more disciplinary sanctions. His refusal to pay the legal fees just stands as another misdemeanor the committee can hold against him.