“Honestly, I’m here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip,” White responded. “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.”
Hey @NBCOlympics, how come none of your Shaun White coverage mentions the #MeToo story of how he targeted his bandmate? https://t.co/FinIeVofSj
— Anil Dash (@anildash) February 14, 2018
White later backtracked, apologizing for his choice of words on the Today show.
“It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today,” White told Savannah Guthrie. “And, you know, I’m just truly sorry. And I was so overwhelmed with just 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
“I’ve grown as a person over the years,” he added. “I definitely feel like I’m a much more changed person than I was when I was younger. I’m proud of who I am today.”