(KGTV) — Olympic snowboard Shaun White is apologizing after his choice of Halloween costume drew criticism from Special Olympics officials.
White posted a photo of the costume, which has since been deleted, depicting him as the character Simple Jack, played by Ben Stiller in the movie "Tropic Thunder."
The fictional character has a mental disability.
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"I owe everyone in the Special Olympics community an apology for my poor choice," White wrote Monday. "It was a last minute decision. It was the wrong one. The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it.
"They do great work supporting so many tremendous athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive," he added.
Monday, the Special Olympics released a statement to the Huffington Post, calling the costume choice offensive.
“We are truly disappointed that Shaun White, an acclaimed Olympian, would choose this costume which 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," the statement read.
Fans on the deleted social media posting also expressed outrage over White's costume.
