Professional athletes have taken to Twitter to set the record straight: Donald Trump's comments about women were not "locker room talk," they say.
During the second presidential debate in St. Louis, the Republican nominee for president brushed off his recorded 2005 comments saying he could do anything to women because he is famous as typical guy talk often heard in locker rooms.
The release of the 11-year-old "Access Hollywood" video Friday, in which Trump bragged about trying to have sex with a married woman and grabbing women by their genitals, has drawn sharp criticism and dominated the start of the debate.
Trump was asked by moderator Anderson Cooper of CNN if he had ever kissed or groped women without their consent. Trump responded he has not.
"This is locker room talk," Trump said at the debate. "I'm not proud of it. I apologized to my family. I apologized to the American people. Certainly I'm not proud it but this is locker room talk."
Professional athletes countered Trump's suggestion that sexual assault is common talk in locker rooms.
"As an athlete, I've been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that's not locker room talk, said Sean Doolittle, a pitcher for the Oakland A's.
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"I haven't heard that one in any locker rooms," wrote CJ McCollum, who plays for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
Jacob Tamme, a tight end with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, asked that Trump "please stop saying 'locker room talk,'" adding that "it's not normal. And even if it were normal, it's not right."
LA Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and retired NFL players Donte Stallworth and Chris Kluwe offered similar condemnations.
Even Melania Trump condemned her husband's words.
"The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology," she said.
See more of the athletes' tweets here:
The Associated Press contributed to this report