Why Was Mary Lou Retton Arrested? Retired American Olympic Gymnast Detained in 2025

There's no denying that Mary Lou Retton left an impactful legacy in the history of American sports. According to her Olympic profile, the athlete won several medals for the United States during the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. The highlight of this accomplishment was the Gold medal the gymnast won in the Individual All-Around category back in the day. Unfortunately, Mary Lou was put in the spotlight in the summer of 2025 due to her surprising arrest and the consequences of it.

Being detained by authorities is not something fans would expect from a retired Olympic medalist, especially not one as prestigious as Mary Lou Retton. The question remains: Why was Mary Lou Retton arrested in the summer of 2025?

Mary Lou Retton was detained by the authorities in May 2025 on a DUI charge. According to People, the Olympic medalist seemed distressed when interacting with police officers from West Virginia. Mary Lou was allegedly in possession of a bottle of wine at the time of the arrest, with the container reportedly placed in the passenger seat of her car. Body cam footage revealed that the former athlete struggled to get through a sobriety test due to health issues.

Decades after competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics that took place in Los Angeles, Mary Lou Retton began to struggle with pneumonia. The retired athlete's battle against the disease is the reason why Mary Lou can be seen tying an oxygen tube to her nose in order to get through the sobriety tests. The aforementioned People report also states that Mary Lou found it hard to count past nine. The arrest and the constant health issues are difficult to see for fans of the accomplished gymnast.

Mary Lou Retton's accomplishments as an athlete came to an end in 1986, just two years after her historic run at the Olympics. Less than a decade after the gymnast brought her career to a close, Baywatch took the world by storm. The Olympic medalist was given the opportunity to appear in an episode of the series.

After hanging out with a bunch of intrepid lifeguards, Mary Lou Retton appeared as a competitor in Dancing With the Stars, where she was paired with Sasha Farber. The beloved team didn't manage to win the competition, but the effort proved that plenty of people still support the retired gymnast.

Mary Lou Retton still has a chance to change the public's perception of her after the arrest had the entire world commenting on her mistakes.