HULK HOGAN is Only Sorry He Got Caught

The WWE Hall of Fame really doesn’t matter, but specifically taking action to put Hulk Hogan back in it – and essentially invite him back to the company with open arms – sends a bad message. The message is “We’re okay with the whole racism thing because of how much money you can still make us, as long as you sort of apologize.”

For those out of the loop, Hogan was excommunicated from WWE in 2015. This was because of a leaked recording of him expressing displeasure at his daughter Brooke dating a black man, dropping slurs, and explicitly stating I am a racist. That is not a paraphrase. Hogan says the words “I’m a racist to a point” and immediately says the word twice.

His excuse that “…where I grew up was…a really rough neighborhood, very low income. And all my friends, we greeted each other saying that word” would make sense internally (but still not be justified) if he said it in one context. But using it explicitly to demean and insult a black person doesn’t fall under “we greeted each other saying that word” in any universe.

Hogan also expresses that he’d be fine with an 8-foot-tall basketball player (dehumanizing and racist) or rich man (gross for a million reasons).

Listen, it’s morally wrong that he had a sex tape leaked. I’m sympathetic to that. But the idea that that somehow negates the whole I’m a racist stuff is laughable. The two things just don’t follow one another.

And now that guy’s back in WWE’s good graces.

By most accounts, Hogan’s apology to the locker room consisted of a halfhearted sorry, followed by a warning to be careful because you never know when there’s a camera. That last detail is telling. Hogan isn’t sorry he spewed racist garbage because he meant it. He’s definitely sorry that he got caught on tape and fired for a few years.

I will let a selection from Titus O’Neil’s statement speak to its insincerity:

As to the reinstatement of Mr. Bollea, I can only communicate that I am a proponent of second and even third chances for individuals that show true remorse, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, fulfill their punishment, if applicable, and otherwise put forth sincere efforts to correct the issues.

Unfortunately, I must echo the sentiment and dissatisifaction expressed by many of my fellow contemporaries concerning Mr. Bollea’s apology and its lack of true contrition, remorse and a desire to change. Mr. Bollea’s apology ‘that he didn’t know he was being recorded’ is not remorse for the hateful and violent utterances he made which reprise language that has caused violence against blacks and minorities for centuries.

I stand firm in my position that Mr. Bollea is entitled to reinstatement; he was and is a role model, hero and icon to countless people. I hope that Mr. Bollea’s missteps in communicating to the WWE talent in Pittsburgh are not repeated to his fans and I expect that he shall pursue an agenda that clearly communicates to all third parties that his language was inappropriate, wrong and should not be tolerated in a civilized and inclusive society.

We’ve all known for a while that Hogan’s a scumbag and WWE decision-makers are largely scumbags. But this entire situation seems so half-assed in light of its seriousness. This is disappointing, but not unexpected.

Just to be perfectly clear: Hulk Hogan can go to hell.

-Bobby Murphy (@RobertJMurph)

Image courtesy The Daily Beast