Shaun White says he’s ‘truly sorry’ for referring to sexual misconduct lawsuit as ‘gossip’
“It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today,” the three-time gold medalist told the 'Today' show.
Shaun White apologized Wednesday for using the word “gossip” when asked during a press conference earlier in the day about sexual misconduct allegations that have been made against him.“I’m truly sorry that I used the word ‘gossip,’” the snowboarder, who won his third gold medal in men’s halfpipe Wednesday, told the “Today” show. “It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today. And I’m just truly sorry. I was so overwhelmed with wanting to talk about how amazing today was and share my experience.”
“I’m truly sorry that I chose the word gossip. It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today.” @shaunwhite on his remarks at news conference when asked about harassment case pic.twitter.com/5q9jyCL61m
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 14, 2018
Hours after winning his gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, White was asked by reporters if he thought the allegations made against him in a 2016 lawsuit by a former drummer in his rock band might tarnish his legacy.
After Shaun White’s historic Olympic victory, he was asked to address previous allegations of sexual harassment at a press conference https://t.co/3KDA9G67sC pic.twitter.com/D2mIJG0rKW
— CNN (@CNN) February 14, 2018
“I’m honestly here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip,” the gold medalist replied. “But I don’t think so. I am who I am, and I’m proud of who I am and my friends love me and vouch for me. And I think that stands on its own.”
In the lawsuit, Lena Zawaideh alleges that White repeatedly sexually harassed her, forced her to watch pornography, and then refused to pay her wages after he fired her, according to the AP. Details from the lawsuit resurfaced on social media while the snowboarder was competing.
As you cheer for @shaunwhite, consider these awful and graphic allegations of sexual harassment against him, including texts he admitted to sending. #MeToo https://t.co/4eitns7H3I @usatodaysports @USATODAY
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 14, 2018
“Today” host Savannah Guthrie asked White during his appearance on the show later in the day if he felt he “learned something” from the case against him.
“I’ve grown as a person over the years, and it’s amazing — you’ve known me for a long time now — it’s amazing how life works in twists and turns and lessons learned,” he said. “So every experience in my life, I feel like it’s taught me a lesson and I definitely feel like I’m a more changed person than I was when I was younger. And I’m proud of who I am today.”
https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/963758070693269507
