"Racism is not something that lives in one's mouth" - Teddy Atlas defends Joe Rogan, says he does not have "the heart of a racist"

Joe Rogan has recently been at the center of controversy over the past use of racial slurs and allegations of spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Teddy Atlas has defended Rogan, claiming the UFC commentator is not a racist at heart.

While Atlas acknowledges the grave threat racism poses to society, he believes it is equally harmful to use race as a weapon to destroy somebody. During the latest episode of his podcast THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, the 65-year-old renowned boxing trainer said that Rogan using the 'N-word' in speech doesn't necessarily imply that he's a racist at heart:

"And race is, it's a horrible blight on humanity, on society. And it's something again, that as bad as it is, it is equally as bad and irresponsible to use it quickly and sometimes even flippantly as something to destroy people and to hurt people. Because it's too serious a thing... It shouldn't be used now sometimes, as an easy weapon, a convenient weapon. I'm gonna just finish by saying this, racism is not something that lives in one's mouth. Racism is something that is alive in someone's heart. Joe Rogan does not have the heart of a racist. That's it."

Watch Teddy Atlas defend Rogan below:

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Joe Rogan addresses the recent controversy

Several episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast were taken down from Spotify after a video of him using the 'N-word' went viral on social media. After an initial apology, Rogan recently claimed that the controversy was a "political hit job".

However, the UFC color commentator was relieved that the video went viral. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Rogan told comedian Akaash Singh in the latest episode of his podcast:

"In a lot of ways, this is a relief. That video [of Rogan saying the 'N-word' in his podcast] had always been out there. This is a political hit job. They’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together. It’s good because it makes me address some stuff that I really wish wasn’t out there."