Olympic snowboarder Shaun White responded to sexual harassment allegations that had resurfaced ahead of his winning performance at the final halfpipe event during a press conference, The Huffington Post reports.
During the press conference held following his win, reporters asked White about the allegations, to which he responded, “I’m here to talk about the Olympics, not, you know, gossip.”
According to ABC News, when asked if he thought that these allegations would tarnish his legacy, White said, “I don’t think so. I am who I am and proud of who I am. And my friends love me and vouch for me and I think that stands on its own.”
Shaun White on if he thinks the sexual harassment allegations against him will tarnish his legacy: “You know, honestly, here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip.” pic.twitter.com/45I1DjTB2u
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 14, 2018
U.S. Snowboarding and Freeskiing spokesman Nick Alexakos tried to stop the questioning regarding the allegations and redirect the focus back to White’s performance, ABC News reports.
“I think we’re here to talk about the gold medal and the amazing day we had today,” Alexakos said. “Thank you, so if we don’t have another question why don’t we go ahead and just pass the mic.”
The sexual harassment allegations were first made public in the 2016 lawsuit. According to HuffPost, White’s former bandmate Lena Zawaideh accused White of having “repeatedly sexually harassed her and forced his authoritarian management style on her for over seven years.”
Zawaideh also accused White of sending her messages to wear more provocative clothing and forcing her to watch pornography, ESPN reports. According to the lawsuit, White also allegedly sent Zawaideh sexually explicit and graphic images.
Later on Wednesday, White apologized for his remark regarding the allegations, telling NBC’s “Today” that “it was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today.”
“And, you know, I’m just truly sorry. And I was so overwhelmed with just wanting to talk about how amazing today was and share my experience,” White added.