Ronda Rousey issues apology for Sandy Hook conspiracy tweet 11 years later: "I deserve to be hated"
It's been over a decade since Ronda Rousey shared a conspiracy video disseminating false information based on the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. She recently issued a lengthy statement discussing the event in detail. While she acknowledged that it might be too late to mend fences, her apology appears to be a contrite effort informed by sincere guilt.
The shooting incident, which transpired on Dec. 14, 2012, at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, stands as a dark chapter in American history. Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people and 20 of the victims were children between six and seven years old.
The conspiracy video shared by Rousey was based on a theory that suggested that the shooting was staged or it didn't transpire as reported. She faced significant backlash for sharing the video and netizens claimed that the incident was a wakeup call for the UFC to address her behavior.
The controversial statements resurfaced during an AMA (ask me anything) session hosted by Rousey on Reddit where the former UFC star was subject to scathing questions on her past comments in regards to the massacre.
The former UFC women's bantamweight champion took to X to issue a lengthy statement, writing:
"I didn't even believe it, [the conspiracy video] but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead. I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done. By some miracle it seemingly slipped under the media's radar, I was never asked about it so I never spoke of it again, afraid that calling attention to it would have the opposite of the intended effect - it could increase the views of those conspiracy videos, and selfishly, inform even more people I was ignorant, self absorbed, and tone deaf enough to share one in the first place."
She added:
"I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested, resented, and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do. I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so so sorry for the hurt I caused."
Check out the X post below:
What did Dana White say about Ronda Rousey's statement regarding Sandy Hook massacre?
UFC CEO Dana White is known for standing by the fighters and upholding their freedom of expression even when they make controversial comments.
White was asked to weigh in on Rousey's comments regarding the Sandy Hook massacre at the UFC 158 press conference. White reacted to the incident by claiming that people need to "fu*king calm down" and that Rousey can have an opinion of her own. He said:
"My opinion is that she has an opinion. You know what I mean? Everybody has an opinion. She didn't come out and say that the thing was a fu*king hoax and all this sh*t. She tweeted something and said, 'Look at this story.' You know? People are fuc*ing pu**ies is the problem. That's the big problem." [H/t: MMA Mania]