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Olympic champ Shaun White apologizes for Halloween costume

The snowboarding old medalist recently posted and then deleted an Instagram photo showing himself dressed up as "Simple Jack" from "Tropic Thunder."
Credit: FLORIAN CHOBLET/AFP/Getty Images
USA's snowboard athlete Shaun White attends a press conference at the Media Press Center ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 8, 2018 in Pyeongchang.

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Three-time Olympic champion snowboarder Shaun White has apologized for a Halloween costume that drew criticism from the Special Olympics.

White recently posted and then deleted an Instagram photo showing himself dressed as "Simple Jack," a character with disabilities from the 2008 movie "Tropic Thunder."

Soeren Palumbo, senior director of global youth engagement at the Special Olympics, told HuffPost the organization was disappointed White had chosen a costume that "is so offensive and causes so much pain. Disability is not a joke nor should it be a punchline. We hope that Shaun White and others learn that this just continues stigma, stereotypes and discrimination."

White tweeted an apology for what he said was a last-minute, "poor choice" of a costume.

"The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it," White said. "They do great work supporting so many tremendous athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned."

The 32-year-old White won Olympic gold medals in 2006, 2010 and 2018.

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