Athletes slam Trump's "locker room talk" comments

Current and former professional athletes have spoken out after Donald Trump defended his comments on using fame to grope women without their consent as "locker room" talk during Sunday's presidential debate.

"As an athlete, I've been in locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that's not locker room talk," Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Doolittle wrote on Twitter. Many others echoed his sentiments.

The lewd comments made by Trump in 2005 resurfaced on Friday in a tape obtained by the Washington Post. In a conversation with TV host Billy Bush, Trump described trying to seduce a married woman and said when he meets beautiful women, he feels able to "grab them by the pussy".

"When you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump said.

The remarks led many Republicans to rescind their endorsements for the presidential nominee and call for him to withdraw from the race. Many women spoke out about their own sexual assaults on Twitter.

Trump issued a statement and video response apologizing for his remarks and dismissing them as "locker room banter".

When asked about the comments during the presidential debate, Trump repeatedly described his comments as "locker room talk". Male athletes felt the need to set the record straight, based on their own experiences in locker rooms.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers, when asked by TMZ about Trump's comments, quipped : "That's a new locker room for me."