In case that sentence wasn’t foreshadowing enough, that combination can sometimes get fighters into a bit of trouble.
With the Penn State scandal looming, and sexual crimes in the minds of America, Griffin decided it was time to make a very simple yet controversial joke.
In one sentence, he took the Internet by storm by tweeting: “Rape is the new missionary.”
It’s a joke. It’s clearly a joke, right? Simple guy humor gone wrong.
The problem is, when you are representing a company, you can’t get away with jokes like that. Much less can you get away with refusing to take responsibility until addressed by an actual rape victim. When followers pointed out to him that perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing to say, Griffin told them to mind their own business. It wasn’t until an actual rape victim complained that Griffin admitted it may have been offensive.
Clearly, someone from UFC or Griffin’s management has stepped in, and the offending tweets have been deleted. Griffin has also put himself on “Twitter restriction” for a week.
UFC spokespersons, however, need to step in and release a statement making it clear that this kind of language won’t stand.
If you want to joke about these matters in private, then that’s fine. However, it’s not right to be joking about it on a social media, where you’re being followed strictly because of your relation to UFC.
Forrest Griffin tried to be funny, and it’s very hard to believe it was anything more than a silly joke. The weekly Twitter ban is enough, as is a harsh lesson learned on what he can put on his Twitter feed from now on.
UFC should not impose a punishment or fine but should heavily encourage Griffin to make a statement when he returns, addressing that he was wrong and that those kind of jokes cannot be tolerated. A healthy donation to a charity or organization that helps rape victims would be a good start, too.
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