LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2015 — (UPI) — Fellow wrestler and entertainer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he’s “disappointed” in Hulk Hogan after an interview resurfaced in which he used racist language, but that “we’ve all talked trash.”
While speaking at a Television Critics Association panel this week, Johnson explained he has known Hogan — real name Terry Boella — for years. “My dad helped train him in Florida in the 1970s,” he said via a satellite call. “Not justifying what he said but we’ve all talked trash, especially in private, and he’s paid the price.”
Last week, a years-old transcript of a radio interview featuring Boella went viral due to offensive comments made about his daughter’s love interest at the time. The 61-year-old wrestler was then immediately fired from WWE and publicly shamed.
“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation,” Boella said in a statement following accusations. “It was unacceptable for me to have used the offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.”
Boella’s daughter, Brooke also released a poetic statement following her father’s shaming, writing: “If you knew the dad I knew, you’d know his tender heart…If you knew my father, you would know how hard he fought…and the way it brought a smile to people light, medium and dark.”
