Trump says lewd comments were ‘locker room talk,’ athletes universally disagree

Athletes on Twitter don’t find Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s dismissal of his recently revealed sexist and misogynist remarks as “locker room talk” an acceptable excuse for what he was recorded saying by a live microphone.

Trump has been widely criticized for comments made in 2005, where he bragged to NBC’s Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women, saying “When you’re a star, they let you do it” and “Grab them by the p—y.” Trump added, “You can do anything.”

Amazingly, Trump and his campaign have tried to spin the horrifying remarks as what men say to each other when amongst themselves in high-testosterone environments. You know, boys’ clubhouses like locker rooms. The 70-year-old and his surrogates have used the phrase heavily since the scandal, including during Sunday’s second presidential debate. But actual athletes who are part of a locker room culture weren’t thrilled with the comparison when Trump used that defense again.

The consensus among athletes — and even those who frequent locker rooms as media — was “No, that’s not how locker rooms are.” Here are some examples:

https://twitter.com/_flight17_/status/785293032618725376

https://twitter.com/_flight17_/status/785290574752395264

https://twitter.com/KButter5/status/785294936421773312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/785286554323255296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Trump’s decision to try to spin awful, private remarks made public was a bad one. Apologizing (in a non-half assed way) and not trying to justify the comments would have served him much better. Instead, Trump is drawing the ire of just about everyone outraged by such repugnant proclamations.

Athletes rightfully took to social media to stress, unlike Trump’s mindset, that “locker room talk” doesn’t consist of remarks like the ones he made about TV personality Nancy O’Dell, actress Arianne Zucker and women in general, back in 2005. As Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson put it, what kind of locker rooms has Trump been in, where saying stuff like he did is tolerated? My guess, none. It’s a lame, offensive excuse, and he’s being called out on it by those who regularly occupy locker rooms.

[Image via AP / Michael Conroy] [Huffington Post]