In Boys & Girls Club Speech, Hulk Hogan Alludes to Racist Tape That Led to His WWE Firing

Hulk Hogan repeatedly used the N word in an audio tape released in July 2015.

WWE icon Hulk Hogan was inducted Wednesday into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Alumni Hall of Fame and took a moment during his acceptance speech to allude to the racist sex tape that led to his firing from WWE. 

The relevant portion of the tape, recorded in 2006, was released in July 2015. In it, Hogan is heard repeatedly using the N word as he expresses displeasure with his daughter dating black men. “I’m a racist to a point, you know,” Hogan said at one point. WWE subsequently terminated his contract. 

Hogan said in his speech Wednesday that he hopes the incident can teach children not to make the same mistake.

“With this foundation, I can be accountable. I can learn from my mistakes and I can move forward,” Hogan said. “And what’s so cool now is working with the Boys Club, I have a chance to help these kids not make the mistake I made, being at the wrong place at the wrong time or saying the wrong words.”

It’s a bit of a cop-out for Hogan—he never should have used those words, regardless of the place or time—but he did address the comments more directly in a 2016 interview on The View.

“It’s probably the stupidest thing I ever said,” Hogan said. “The people who know me know I’m not a racist.” 

WWE has recently been rumored to be considering bringing Hogan back into the fold. The company said in March that it “had discussions” with Hogan “about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”