Athletes respond to Donald Trump's 'locker room talk' defense of taped comments

[Truth_hurts]

This is pretty long 

 

MIAMI -- Udonis Haslem was leading some banter with Heat teammates after practice Monday, the jokes and laughter helping everyone wind down after practice.

 

That's how he defines locker room talk.

 

Donald Trump's characterization of his caught-on-tape crude and predatory comments about women as "locker room talk" has raised the ire of plenty of athletes, the overwhelming majority saying that what goes on even in private doesn't match up to what the Republican presidential nominee said on the now-infamous leaked tape.

 

"I don't know what locker room he's been in," Haslem said. "No, I didn't appreciate it, to be completely honest. That's not our locker room talk. I don't know Trump very well at all, but I don't know who he's played for the last couple years to even say he's been in anybody's locker room and had those kind of conversations."

 

 

On the tape, recorded in 2005, Trump bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women other than his wife. "When you're a star, they let you do it," he bragged. "You can do anything."

 

Athletes fired back en masse at Trump to send the message that they don't talk like he does. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley, Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, and retired NFL players Donte Stallworth and Chris Kluwe were among the first to speak out, and many have since followed.

 

"It didn't sound like any talk in any locker room that I've ever been in, so maybe it was just a phrase," Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins said. "But it was wrong."

 

Saying such talk is never heard, however, might be a stretch. Some described hearing crude, profane or degrading comments routinely.

 

"Most definitely," said Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker, when asked whether he has heard off-color chatter. "Yeah, I have."

 

Ron Darling, the former major league pitcher who is now a television analyst, said such language isn't hard to find -- and it's found in the locker room, the boardroom and country clubs.

 

The hard part, for Darling, was trying to avoid it -- which he said he would do by walking away.

 

"Every repugnant thing that you can think of has probably been said in a clubhouse at some point," Darling said at Fenway Park on Monday night before the Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox playoff game.

 

"The thing about it is that it's the lowest common denominator thing. So it's the person with the foulest and worst mind and mouth is the person that becomes the loudmouth in the clubhouse," he said.

 

"A lot of times, clubhouses get associated with that person. It's a shame. It's why I chose personally -- if my mom heard me say things like that, she would beat the s--- out of me."

 

"Every repugnant thing that you can think of has probably been said in a clubhouse at some point."

Ron Darling, former major league pitcher and current television analyst

 

But the majority of athletes and coaches who have spoken out since the tape was published by The Washington Post and NBC News on Friday insist that what typically goes on stops well short of the level that Trump went to in his descriptions of grabbing women on that tape.

 

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said such talk is not typical of any locker room he has been a part of.

 

"They're bad comments. They're demeaning to women," Rivers said. "You know, I think when people throw out that word, 'locker room talk,' there's nobody talking like that in the locker room. Is there swearing in the locker room? Yeah. Every other word. But there's nobody demeaning -- there's players in our locker room with sisters, wives and daughters. There's not that type of talk in anyone's locker room."

 

Said Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze: "We're working hard on our young men understanding that women are priceless and should be treated as such."

 

Former NBA player Shane Battier said the "locker room" issue shouldn't be limited to the conversations athletes have among themselves.

 

"Be it right or misguided, the locker room -- in however you define it -- is probably one of the last places where most people feel safe expressing themselves without the fear of judgment or backlash," Battier said.

 

To even suggest that locker rooms are barren of such talk and innuendo would be futile.

 

The handling of sexual assault cases at the college level has been under fire for some time. Baylor fired football coach Art Briles after an investigation showed the program mishandled and covered up allegations.Tennessee struck a $2.48 million settlement after a lawsuit alleged the Volunteers didn't properly address some sexual assault claims involving athletes. Earlier this year, Florida State agreed to pay $950,000 to a woman who said she was raped by former Seminoles star Jameis Winston.

 

"[Trump] was trying to say, 'It's what men do.' And that to me is the inherent problem. ... It is behavior that's been accepted for years."

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve

 

And three years ago, the Miami Dolphins' season unraveled amid claims of players bullying their own teammates in the locker room.

 

"If that is the actual talk that's happening in locker rooms, it's time to look at the leaders and examine their culture as to why those conversations happen," Miami women's basketball coach Katie Meier said.

 

At the WNBA Finals, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the mere notion of "locker room talk" further shows that women aren't treated equally.

 

"He was trying to say, 'It's what men do.' And that to me is the inherent problem," Reeve said. "It is what men do. Let's not have all these men stand up and say, 'Well, we don't do that!' ... Donald Trump's candidacy has shined the light on so many problems that exist that I always talk about. He is the epitome of all these things. He's not alone. It is behavior that's been accepted for years."

 

Dolphins linebacker Jelani Jenkins said the culture within locker rooms has changed for the better in recent years -- and it might be because there has been more of a crackdown when issues arise.

 

"For sure," Jenkins said. "People have gotten in trouble for certain things, like bullying, homophobia, different things like that that are very sensitive subjects. So guys are really careful what they say."

 

Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate said there are no excuses for what Trump said.

 

"There's no excuse to talk that way about women, to women, to other people," Tate said.

 

He also disagreed with Trump's characterization of "locker room talk."

 

 

"I've heard some things over the years. I've heard some distasteful things over the years, but I've also heard some incredible things and some incredible outputs on life and character and religion and faith," he said. "I think locker room talk can be a wide range of things. I think people just kind of jump to the negative. I think if you sit down with everyone in this locker room and kind of pick their brain on something they have some knowledge on, they can give you some very, very good perspective. So locker room talk can be a wide range of things."

 

ESPN's Michael Rothstein and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/17765868/athletes-respond-donald-trump-locker-room-talk-defense-taped-comments

 

 

[Truth_hurts]

More Pro Athletes: Donald Trump’s Comments Are Not ‘Locker-Room Talk’

 

What kind of locker room is Donald Trump hanging out in? Several professional athletes took to social media to express that the Republican presidential nominee’s vulgar comments are not“locker-room talk.†

 

During the second presidential debate on Sunday, October 9, the 70-year-old businessman addressed his recently unearthed sexist conversation with Billy Bush from 2005. “I’m not proud of it. I apologize to my family,†he said. “I apologize to the American people. Certainly I’m not proud of it. But this is locker-room talk.†

 

Dozens of sports stars were offended by the former Apprenticehost’s defense. Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted, “As an athlete, I’ve been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that’s not locker room talk.†

 

Another MLB star, San Diego Padres pitcher Daniel McCutchen, pointed out that Trump didn’t participate in sports at the collegiate or professional level. “All these guys that have never played a sport about 8th grade basketball talking about what goes on in the locker room. Smh,†he wrote on Twitter.

 

Chris Conley of the Kansas City Chiefs also weighed in on the controversial remarks. “Just for reference. I work in a locker room (every day)… That is not locker room talk. Just so you know…†The NFL player added in a second tweet, “Have I been in every locker room? No. But the guys I know and respect don’t talk like that. They talk about girls but not like that. Period.â€

 

See more pro athletes react below: 

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/pro-athletes-offended-by-trumps-locker-room-talk-defense-w444284

 

 

 

LeBron: Trump's lewd comments about women were 'trash talk,' not locker room talk

 

“What is locker room talk to me? It's not what that guy said. We don't disrespect women in no shape or fashion in our locker rooms. That never comes up," James said. "I've got a mother-in-law, my mom, a wife and a daughter and those conversations just don't go on in our locker room.â€

 

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/10/12/lebron-james-donald-trump-locker-room-talk-trash-video

[Dovah Bitch]

I work in finance which is a pretty conservative "bro" culture as one of two women in the office and while I've heard some pretty gross things, I've never heard anything close to the level of disgusting as what Trump said

[Truth_hurts]

Elizabeth Smart hits out at Donald Trump's 'locker room talk' and says he is 'belittling sexual abuse' survivors like herself with his lewd comments

 

Elizabeth Smart is criticizing Donald Trump for his recent comments about women which he claimed were just 'locker room talk' 

 

'Anyone belittling sexual violence, sexual abuse, they're doing a huge disservice to victims of violent crimes, violent sexual abuse,' said Smart

 

Smart, 28, was abducted from her bedroom at the age of 14 and then held captive and raped almost daily for nine months

 

She said there is 'no justifying' Trump's comments 

 

 

Elizabeth Smart is speaking out against Donald Trump over the lewd comments he made about women in a 2005 Access Hollywood interview, and his subsequent apology in which he justified the words he used by referring to his conversation as 'locker room talk.'

 

The young mother, who at the age of 14 was kidnapped from her bedroom and held captive for nine months by a man who repeatedly raped her, said that Trump's dismissal of his words is dangerous to survivors of sexual abuse.

 

'The worst part about it is listening to people trying to belittle it, just saying, "Well, it's locker-room talk, it's locker-room banter,"' said Smart, 28, in an interview with The Salt-Lake Tribune. 

 

'Anyone belittling sexual violence, sexual abuse, they're doing a huge disservice to victims of violent crimes, violent sexual abuse. There's no justifying it - ever.'

 

Trump was travelling to film a walk-on role on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives in 2005 when he made the comments Smart is referencing in her interview, with Access Hollywood and host Billy Bush trailing him for the day. 

 

Trump can be heard talking about how he 'moved on' Bush's co-host nancy O'Dell depite the fact that she was married, and then discussing how she now has 'big phony t*** and everything.'

 

Bush could later be heard on the video calling soap star Arianne Zucker a 'hot piece of a***,' while Trump spoke about needing Tic Tacs in case the two started kissing.

 

It was at that point that Trump told Bush: '[W]hen you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Whatever you want ... grab them by the p****.' 

 

Smart also spoke about her belief that young women need to be more educated about rape and assault, something she wishes she knew more about when she was taken in the middle of their night from her family home.

 

'When I was first raped, I didn't realize there was a difference between rape and sex,' explained Smart.

 

'Immediately, in my little 14-year-old mind when that happened, I thought, "I'm impure. Who will ever want to marry me now?"

 

'If my parents knew what happened, would they even want me back, or would they think, "Good thing we had six kids cause we still have five others?"' 

 

Smart was kidnapped from her bed in August 2002 and held captive for nine months before she was discovered by police.

 

She was found alive in March of the following year in Sandy, Utah, and Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee were arrested for abducting the teenager.  

 

Mitchell, who raped Smart repeatedly during her captivity, is currently sevring life in prison.

 

Barzee, Mitchell's wife and accomplice, completed her federal sentence for her role in the crime earlier this year and is currently behind bars serving her state sentence in Utah.

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3837048/Elizabeth-Smart-hits-Donald-Trump-s-locker-room-talk-says-belittling-sexual-abuse-survivors-like-lewd-comments.html

 

 

 

Forget locker-room talk, says Elizabeth Smart, there’s ‘no justifying’ sexual violence

 

"I'm always reminded that there's a big need for this," she says. Rape and sexual assault are not isolated events that happen once in awhile, she says, and they're life-changing for victims, who need support to address their grief, pain and anger.

 

But because so many people don't believe rape can happen to them or to someone they love, that's something too few people understand, Smart says — as evidenced by some reactions to a video showing Donald Trump talking about kissing and groping women without their consent.

 

"The worst part about it is listening to people trying to belittle it, just saying, 'Well, it's locker-room talk, it's locker-room banter,' " she says. "Anyone belittling sexual violence, sexual abuse, they're doing a huge disservice to victims of violent crimes, violent sexual abuse. There's no justifying it — ever."

 

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4460702-155/forget-locker-room-talk-says-elizabeth-smart

[Truth_hurts]

Eric Trump: 'Locker room banter' common among 'alpha personalities'

 

Eric Trump is defending his father, Donald Trump, over lewd remarks the GOP presidential nominee made in 2005 about approaching women, saying such talk is common among "alpha personalities."

 

 

"I think it's locker room banter," he said on Monday, as reported first by The Colorado Springs Gazette. "I think sometimes when guys are together they get carried away, and sometimes that's what happens when alpha personalities are in the same presence.

 

"At the same time, I'm not saying it's right. It's not the person that he is," Eric Trump added.

 

He also criticized Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for seizing on the leaked tape to hammer his father, describing it as "Hillary going low."

 

"I think you've seen that for a long time. If you look at her track record with women — I think you saw that yesterday with some of the people we had sitting at the debate. It's horrible. She'll dig out dirt on someone from 15 years ago when someone is in entertainment," he said, according to the Gazette.

 

"And, listen, my father apologized for it. He was right to apologize for it, and I'm glad he apologized for it. At the same time, if you look at her track record with women, it's horrible. It's absolutely horrible," he said.

 

Donald Trump during Sunday's presidential debate apologized for his remarks about groping women but said they were nothing more than "locker room banter." He also denied that his remarks were about sexually assaulting women.

 

He also tried to put the focus on former President Bill Clinton, bringing several women who have accused him of assault to the debate. Trump also said Hillary Clinton had vilified those accusers.

 

Eric Trump on Monday echoed his father's attack.

 

"I think actions speak a lot louder than words, and I think [about] her actions as it pertains to females and Bill's actions as it pertains to females and the lives they've destroyed," he said.

 

"And I spoke to some of those women yesterday, and they're amazing women, and when they say 'the shame Hillary put me through' in many cases [was] worse than the rapes themselves, that's pretty powerful stuff."

 

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/300430-eric-trump-locker-room-banter-common-among-alpha-personalities

[Truth_hurts]

Soap star featured in 2005 Trump tape speaks out

 

Arianne Zucker, the woman who appeared at the end of the leaked tape where Donald Trump can be heard talking about being sexually aggressive with women, speaks out.

 

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/10/13/soap-star-in-2005-trump-tape-newday.cnn

 

 

Arianne Zucker On Lewd 2005 Donald Trump Tape, Reveals Why His Behavior Didn’t Shock Her | TODAY

 

[Truth_hurts]

Trump Supporter Blames His Lewd Remarks on ‘50 Shades of Grey Culture’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5oaGnl1EsI

 

Katrina Pierson Defends Trump by Blaming Hip-Hop Hollywood for Rape Culture - 10/11/16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX2AkC9vyrc

 

smh 

[Truth_hurts]

This is not locker room talk 

[Truth_hurts]

Nancy O'Dell: Even the Locker Room No Excuse for Trump

 

 

"Entertainment Tonight" host Nancy O'Dell says women shouldn't be objectified, even in the locker room.

 

On the entertainment news show Monday, O'Dell addressed crude, taped comments made about her by GOP presidential contender Donald Trump in 2005 and his response following their release last week.

 

Referring to a previous statement, O'Dell repeated her assertion that "there is no room for objectification of women, or anyone for that matter." She then added, "not even in the locker room."

 

During Sunday's debate with Democratic contender Hillary Clinton, Trump dismissed his remarks to then-"Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush as "locker-room talk."

 

The candidate apologized for the vulgar banter, which included his assertion that he tried and failed to sleep with a married woman he called "Nancy."

 

"Access Hollywood" has identified O'Dell as the woman Trump referred to.

 

In the recording that was published Friday by The Washington Post and NBC News, Trump also said, "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," adding, "Grab them by the p----. You can do anything."

 

Under questioning by debate moderator Anderson Cooper, Trump denied groping women or kissing women without consent.

 

In her on-air remarks Monday, O'Dell said she's been a journalist for more than two decades, and "it is my job to bring you news about others rather than turning the focus on myself."

 

But the release of the tape that's become a national story and part of the presidential race has "thrown me in the middle of the political arena of which I didn't ask to be a part," O'Dell said.

 

She used the opportunity to call for respect for all. Speaking as a mother, she said, children and especially young girls "need to know that their hard work, their achievements, their intelligence, their heart are most important."

 

O'Dell, who did not refer to Trump by name in her remarks, thanked viewers for the many "kind words" she has received.

 

In her weekend statement, she said it was "disappointing to hear such objectification of women. The conversation needs to change because no female, no person, should be the subject of such crass comments, whether or not cameras are rolling."

 

Trump was visiting a soap opera set when he and Bush were taped in a bawdy hot-mike conversation. Bush, now with NBC's "Today," has been suspended indefinitely from the job he started just two months ago.

 

"Today" Executive Producer Noah Oppenheim said in a memo Sunday that "there is simply no excuse for Billy's language and behavior on that tape."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/nancy-odell-locker-room-excuse-trump-42712593

[Truth_hurts]

Pence: 'I don't understand the basis' of Michelle Obama's claims

 

Asked Friday morning to respond to the powerful rebuke of Donald Trump delivered a day earlier in a speech by first lady Michelle Obama, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said “I don’t understand the basis of her claim.â€

 

Speaking at a Hillary Clinton campaign rally in New Hampshire, the first lady deviated from her usual stump speech, instead delivering emotional remarks in a call to action for women against Trump. Her voice breaking at times, she condemned Trump without ever mentioning his name, decrying vulgar remarks he made in 2005 about sexual assault.

 

“This was not just a lewd conversation, this wasn’t just locker room banter,†the first lady said, a reference to Trump’s defense that his comments were just “locker room talk.†“This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior.â€

 

“CBS This Morning†co-anchor Norah O’Donnell presented Pence with that particularly powerful segment of Obama’s speech, asking Pence if the first lady’s characterization of the Manhattan billionaire’s past remarks made him uncomfortable.

 

“I have a lot of respect for the first lady and the job she has done for the American people over the last seven and a half years. But I don't understand the basis of her claim,†Pence said.

 

“You don't believe his language was sexually predatory?†O’Donnell followed up.

 

“Well, no. I already spoke about my concerns about the language he used in that 11-year-old video. But what he has made it clear is that was talk, regrettable talk on his part,†Pence replied. “But that there were no actions and that he has categorically denied these latest unsubstantiated allegations.â€

 

While Trump has not been shy about attacking Clinton and President Barack Obama on the campaign trail, he has generally avoided criticism of the first lady despite her increasing visibility on the stump. Pence’s more gentle approach to pushing back against her seemed a new tactic against one of Clinton’s strongest surrogates.

 

On the topic of the allegations of sexual assault against Trump, Pence said he believed his running mate when he said that all of them were false. The Indiana governor would not say whether or not he had a moral red line which, if crossed by Trump, would lead Pence to drop off the GOP ticket.

 

Pence did say that evidence to refute the allegations against Trump would emerge later Friday, although he did not say which of the four accusations of sexual assault to emerge this week the new evidence would address.

 

“Frankly I think before the day is out the allegations will be questioned,†Pence said, prompting Rose to ask “what evidence is coming out?â€

 

“Well, just stay tuned. I know that there is more information that is going to be coming out that will back his claim that this is all categorically false,†Pence said.

 

Pence's appearance was one of at least three national TV interviews on his schedule Friday morning. It is the second time this week that Pence, a devout evangelical Christian, has been deployed on the morning TV news circuit to defend his running mate against allegations of sexual impropriety.

 

The Indiana governor also made the rounds on Monday to reassure Republicans that he would not leave the ticket in the wake of the 2005 recording, in which Trump described how his celebrity allowed him to sexually assault women without consequence.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/mike-pence-michelle-obama-trump-sexual-harassment-229785