The wrestler-turned-actor weighs in on Hogan's recent scandal, 'Not justifying what he said, we've all talked trash, especially in private. He said what he said and he's paying the price.'
- Jul 31, 2015
AceShowbiz - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is disappointed with Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, for making racial remarks about a guy Hogan's daughter was dating. While promoting his HBO comedy "Ballers" at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday, July 30, Johnson commented on Hogan's recent scandal.
"I was pretty disappointed with what I heard, like all of us, by the way. I was disappointed in him," the wrestler-turned-actor said of Hogan, who used N-word to address his daughter's boyfriend. "I have known Terry for a lot of years. My dad helped trained him in Florida in the '70s when he was breaking into the business. I come from a very long lineage of professional wrestlers."
"I had not known the man to be racist," Johnson added. The 43-year-old actor argued that everyone would talk trash in private though he still disagreed with the racial remarks Hogan made. "Not justifying what he said, but we've all talked trash, especially in private. He said what he said and he's paying the price," the "San Andreas" actor said.
Hogan was terminated by WWE after the company learned of the scandal. "WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan)," said a WWE rep in a statement. "WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide."
Following WWE's announcement, the 61-year-old wrestler issued a statement to apologize for the racist remark he made. "Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it," Hogan said in the statement. "This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise," Hogan continued. "I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs."
