Athletes want Donald Trump to stop calling his sexual assault comments 'locker room talk'
He tripled down on his excuse on Sunday night
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In the second presidential debate, Donald Trump doubled and tripled down on his recently unearthed sexual assault comments by calling them simply “locker room talk.”
Mr Trump was 58-years-old and recently married when the comments were recorded on a hot mic, and the reality television star was likely worlds away from your typical locker room filled with athletes.
On Sunday, many professional athletes disputed the Republican candidate’s characterization by saying demeaning comments against women never come up in their locker rooms.
Jamal Crawford of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers simply tweeted, “locker rooms?”
CJ McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers responded with, “I haven't heard that one in any locker rooms.”
Kendall Marshall of the Philadelphia 76ers says, “locker room talk? that's the same as group chat talk right?”
Jacob Tamme of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons tweeted, “Please stop saying ‘locker room talk.’”
Chris Conley of the Kansas City Chiefs says, “Just for reference. I work in a locker room [every day]. That is not locker room talk. Just so you know.” He continued, “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.”
Brett Anderson of MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers tweeted, “What kind of f****d up locker rooms has Donald Trump been in.”
Sean Doolittle of the Oakland A’s says, “As an athlete, I've been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that's not locker room talk.”
View more reactions from professional athletes abroad below.