Shaun White is the most decorated snowboarder of all time. However, that has not stopped him from landing into trouble from time to time. One of the most prominent events that come to mind when thinking about his brush with controversy is the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

During the meet, something occurred that landed him in trouble back home. It was after he won the gold medal in the halfpipe event at the meet.

What did Shaun White do that enraged the whole country?

Securing the first position in the halfpipe event marked his third Olympic victory. Therefore, his joy knew no bounds. At this point, people handed the American flag to White to honor him for winning the event.

However, people viewing the event in the US noticed that the snowboarder dragged the flag along amidst the celebrations. Some pointed out that the athlete stepped on the Stars and Stripes rather than adorning it on his shoulders.

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What ensued was a massive backlash against the Olympian. Some people understood that the blunder was unintentional. But most people showed their reluctance to reason with the athlete. It caused an uproar back on his home soil.

Moreover, it attracted a frenzy of negative comments on his social media handles. It reached a point where White had no choice but to apologize publicly to the citizens of his country.

He called for a press conference to make his apology. At the conference, the snowboarder said, “I remember being handed the flag, but I was trying to put my gloves on and hold the flag and get the board. So honestly, if there was anything, I definitely didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“The flag that’s flying on my house right now is way up there. So sorry for that. But I’m definitely proud, very proud, to be a part of Team USA and being American and to be representing for everyone back home,” added White.

The situation after White publicly apologized

Things cooled down to an extent after the press conference. However, the repercussions of the mishap that day continued for some time.

Here are some of the negative comments that he received on Twitter:

Shaun continued to receive hate comments on his social media accounts for some time. While some people posted offensive comments, others sought to express their disappointment in the athlete.

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However, some understood White’s predicament and were empathetic to his plight. Others even supported the athlete and came to his defense. Was the hate justified? What do you think?