Joe Rogan recently made an offensive statement reflecting a personal opinion that does not represent the UFC in any way. I have addressed this directly with Joe.
That is the entirety of White's statement.
Rogan came under fire last week for a negative slur towards Yahoo! Sports reporter Maggie Hendricks posted on the Underground. He later issued a public apology to Hendricks. Over the weekend, Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports had this to say regarding the situation:
Rogan's words were extraordinarily inappropriate, particularly as the very public mouthpiece of a billion-dollar company. The UFC needed to make a strong, public condemnation of Jackson's behavior and Rogan's choice of words, but has thus far failed to do so.
Instead, late Thursday UFC spokeswoman Caren Bell privately called Hendricks and issued an apology. And while it is commendable that the UFC offered any kind of apology at all, it was made privately at a time when Hendricks was under heavy siege publicly because she stood up for what was right. A public apology would have meant more and carried far more weight.
With today's statement, White and the UFC have attempted to distance themselves from Rogan's words, but have still not issued the public apology Iole calls for.Instead, late Thursday UFC spokeswoman Caren Bell privately called Hendricks and issued an apology. And while it is commendable that the UFC offered any kind of apology at all, it was made privately at a time when Hendricks was under heavy siege publicly because she stood up for what was right. A public apology would have meant more and carried far more weight.
Other media outlets have begun to pick up the story, including Norm Clarke at the Las Vegas Review Journal, who has called for Rogan to be fired as a result of his comments.