Olympian’s golden moment clouded by sex allegations
White dogged by past accusations
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — It was expected to be a coronation: snowboarder Shaun White, shredding the halfpipe in an epic performance that won him Olympic gold at Pyeongchang four years after a devastating loss in Sochi and just four months after a nasty fall during practice sent him to a hospital.
But as he basked in the comeback story of the Winter Games, allegations of sexual misconduct resurfaced, first on social media, then at White’s victory press conference. Eager to focus on his win, White waved away the accusations with a choice of words that made things worse, not better.
“I’m here to talk about the Olympics,” he said, “not gossip and stuff.”
Like other high-profile men, White’s triumphal moment was usurped by an abruptly resurfacing past. And a story that had received scant attention between Olympic cycles was, suddenly, one of the biggest in the world.
Hours later, he was on NBC’s “Today” show apologizing for his comment. But in the era of #metoo, what should have been a triumphal and defining moment in White’s life collided with one of his lowest.
The one-two punch of victory, then condemnation, raised a number of questions that have been playing out on social media in the days since his victory.
Is it legitimate to bring up old charges simply because someone has won something new? Does White have a special responsibility as a role model who has grown rich trading off his name? With his achievements and the accusations, can he be both hero and villain at the same time?
And as his legacy is written and rewritten, will he be remembered more for his athletic successes or as one in a list of men whose achievements have been stained by accusations of sexual misconduct?
“I think he handled it better than we’ve seen other people handle it,” said University of Oregon senior Lily Jones, 21, who said White’s apology helped but didn’t erase what had happened.
“Instead of flat-out denying it, or going after his accuser like we’ve seen other people do, he took a little bit of responsibility, which I definitely appreciated,” Jones said.
White and his more die-hard fans were eager to move on — an understandable instinct.
“That’s just the go-to reaction, for men or women,” said Dorothy Espelage, a psychology professor at the University of Florida. “I don’t think there would be any good timing for somebody that successful. And it doesn’t dismiss the fact that this went on.”
Twitter is barely a decade old, and the notion of the accused having to reckon with a critical public in real time, at the pinnacle of a storied career, is a relatively new notion. But it’s happening more and more.