Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spoke about Hulk Hogan’s racist rant during the “Ballers” panel at Thursday’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.
“Yeah, I saw that. I was pretty disappointed with what I heard, like all of us, by the way,” Johnson told reporters when asked by TheWrap. “I was really disappointed in him.”
Hogan’s contract with the WWE was terminated last week after audio surfaced in which the wrestler repeatedly used the N-word.
“I’ve known Terry for a lot of years,” The Rock said, referring to Hogan’s real name, Terry Bollea. “And my dad helped train him in Florida in the ’70s, with my uncles.
“So I had not known the man to be racist,” he continued. “It’s funny, it’s one of those things where — and not justifying what he said — we’ve all talked trash, especially in private.”
“He said what he said, and now he’s paying the price,” Johnson concluded.
Johnson’s father was professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, while his uncles competed as The Wild Samoans.
The “San Andreas” actor and WWE star’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, was also a pro wrestler.
“Ballers” (pictured above) airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO.