Shaun White had a very quick change of heart after curtly dismissing a sexual harassment suit against him as "gossip."
Appearing on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday morning, the three-time Olympic gold medalist profusely apologized for blowing off questions about a suit filed by a female drummer in his band Bad Things.
"I’m truly sorry I chose the word 'gossip.' It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today. I'm just truly sorry," White told Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
“Do you feel that you learned something from that?” @savannahguthrie asks @ShaunWhite about sexual harassment case
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 14, 2018
“I definitely feel like I’m a much more changed person than I was when I was younger.” -White pic.twitter.com/9BiOuu4vP1
When the snowboarder was asked about the suit at a press conference at the Winter Olympics, he dismissed it, saying: “I’m here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip and stuff.” The moderator quickly ended questions and White hustled off the podium.
That approach didn't go over well with the media and in the court of public opinion, and he was more contrite on Today.
When Guthrie asked him if he wanted to "clear the air," White said he's a "changed" person from the young man who competed in his first Olympics 12 years ago.
"I’ve grown as a person over the years. It's amazing. You’ve known me for a long time now. It's amazing how life works," he told Guthrie and Kotb. "The twists and turns and lessons learned. So every experience in my life, I feel like it has taught me a lesson. I definitely feel like a much more changed person than I was when I was younger. I’m proud of who I am today.”
The 31-year old even threw out the possibility of competing in skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Going for gold in a Summer Olympics would be a "dream come true," said White.
