Posted in: WWE Randy Orton Addresses His 60-Day Drug Suspension, Online Battle For Privacy
By Daniel Pena
Oct 13, 2012 - 4:43:54 PM
Randy Orton addressed his recent 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE's Talent Wellness Program during an interview with WWE Magazine. He admits that the numerous reports published online regarding the suspension was difficult for him, though not because of how he may be perceived by fans and his parents.
"That was really hard for me," Orton says of the suspension. "Not because of how fans would look at me or how my folks would look at me. To be honest, my mom and dad were happy that I had 60 days off. I was worked to the bone for the last four years. What really hurt most about this suspension is that, when my [4-year-old] daughter's older, she can go back and [read about me online]."
Save for the occasional Twitter post, Orton refrains from using social media due to the venom some people have directed toward him and his family online. He now regrets revealing his family life in last year's WWE DVD release on his career, The Evolution of a Predator.
"I look back at my DVD that came out last year, and I had my wife and daughter on there," Orton said. "I really, really, kick myself for doing that. It was a good story, but it just gives people ammunition. For all the good that me doing what I do has done for my family, there are just as many negatives."
There are numerous pages on social media outlets Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, and other websites, dedicated to Orton and his private life. Some, however, are quite venomous and publish false information, which is his main source of contention. In his battle for privacy, Orton has taken matters into his own hands by personally contacting websites that have published alleged accounts of his outside-the-ring matters and demanded that it be taken down.
He says of this new age of social media where wrestlers' personal lives are exposed, "Instead of being able to tune in a few hours a week and watch us on TV, they can talk about us, claim to have knowledge about every aspect of our personal lives, type this knowledge, and then it's written as truth."
