Oh, Hulk Hogan. Even when you try to apologize, you still end up making things worse.
The Hulkster went on Good Morning America Monday morning to apologize and beg forgiveness for the multiple racist rants uncovered during his sex tape trial, including one where he said “I am a racist, to a point, f*cking n*ggers. But then when it comes to nice people and sh*t, and whatever.”
Hogan’s apology included him blaming the environment he was raised in, namely his old neighbourhood in Tampa:
People need to realize that you inherit things from your environment. And where I grew up was south Tampa, Port Tampa, and it was a really rough neighborhood, very low income. And all my friends, we greeted each other saying that word.
The … the environment I grew up in in south Tampa and all my white friends, all my black friends, to hear the word on a daily basis when they’d greet me in the morning, that’s what they’d say to me, ‘Good morning,’ so-and-so. I think that was part of the culture and the environment I grew up in and I think that’s fair to say.
Well, the people of Port Tampa don’t think it’s very fair at all, actually. Former neighbours and residents of the south Tampa neighbourhood expressed their disappointment to local news station WTSP 10:
Linda Bryant who grew up with Terry Bollea, the real name of the Hulk, says she never remembers hearing the N word. “That was not the culture when Terry grew up here,” says Bryant.
Another neighbor agrees.
“There was a time this area was poor but we didn’t say that word,” says a neighbor. He says his children grew up next to the house Bollea lived in. “My daughters not like that. My sons not like that.”
People here say they have always been a fan of Bollea but wish he would’ve done more for the next generation. “Terry was the first guy to ever be a role model for this neighborhood and he had the kids wrapped around his finger. He had the biggest fan base you ever could imagine and he did nothing with it,” says Bryant.
Maybe, and I’m just spitballing here, Hulk should probably just hush for a while. Just a little while. Okay maybe forever, who knows. Either way, maybe just try taking responsibility for saying scumbag racist stuff instead of trying to place blame on literally anyone but yourself, especially when you’re trying to apologize and get people back on your side, y’know? Just an idea.
