Ric Flair Issues Statement Denying 'Forcing Himself' On Anyone
Ric Flair issues, deletes, edits, then re-issues a statement following Dark Side of the Ring.
Ric Flair has released a statement denying that he has ever "forced himself" on anybody, doing so in the wake of last week's episode of Dark Side of the Ring on Vice.
Focused on the infamous Plane Ride From Hell of May 2002, the episode put the spotlight on Flair, who was alleged to have backed flight attendant Heidi Doyle against a wall and forced her to touch his exposed penis against her will. The show was particularly notable as it featured Doyle telling her story on television for the first time, putting the accusations into a new context.
Flair used Twitter to issue a statement on the matter on Monday night (20 September), referencing ESPN 30 For 30 director Rory Karpf, who was behind the 2017 Nature Boy documentary. The original version was up for just a few minutes before the wrestling legend deleted it:-
Ric Flair updated his post to not list all of the people who told him not to post. pic.twitter.com/nUCzldyGtP
— Aaron Wrotkowski (@AaronWrotkowski) September 21, 2021
A new version edited to remove references to those who'd advised against him making a statement was uploaded soon after:-
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 21, 2021
The allegations resurfacing have already led to Flair being pulled from a Car Shield advertisement campaign. In addition, the 72-year-old has been removed from a number of WWE materials, including his signature "WOOO!" being taken out of the company's television show introductions.