ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — Dwayne Johnson says he was disappointed to learn that fellow pro wrestler Hulk Hogan used racial slurs in a sex tape. However, he does not consider the Hulkster, whose birth name is Terry Bollea, to be a racist.
Johnson, who once wrestled Hogan at a WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view, commented on the controversy Thursday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills.
The man also known as “The Rock” said, “I’ve known Terry for a lot of years, and my dad helped train him in Florida in the ’70s when he was breaking into the business….I had not known the man to be racist.”
He added that he wasn’t justifying Hogan’s remarks in the sex tape, but, “We’ve all talked trash, you know, especially in private. He said what he said, and he’s paying the price.”
After Hogan’s use of slurs came to light, WWE cut ties with him and he released a statement saying, “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.”
Johnson was at the press tour to promote his HBO series, Ballers.
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