Hulk Hogan steadfastly maintains he is not a racist and pleads with his fans to forgive him for the recent acts that have left many convinced he might be.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Amy Robach that aired Monday on "Good Morning America," an emotional and apologetic Hogan talked about the day and events that led to him being captured blatantly making use of the n-word during a secretly recorded sex tape.

The 62-year-old Hogan is now suing Gawker Media for $100 million for publishing the sex tape, which has attracted little attention compared to what Hogan was overheard saying in the video.

The day he was recorded using the slur, Hogan told the host he was upset over something that had happened with his daughter and her boyfriend, which had left him feeling "suicidal." He admits he had no idea the actions that led to him being wiped from the WWE's Hall of Fame were being recorded.

Hogan is now desperately trying to turn the experience into a positive.

"You know, just because a person makes a mistake, just don't throw them away," he said of all those who have instantly become his harshest critics. "You don't throw good people away ... I refuse to believe that one thing that I did, which is not who I am, is the beginning of my demise," he said. "I think it's going to open up a lot of eyes and I'm accountable. I did it. I if I did something, I'll tell you, I did it."

Not everyone has been so forgiving. Besides erasing all mention of him away from their Hall of Fame wall, the WWE also fired Hogan. That too left him as distraught as he can ever remember.

"I mean, I love this business," he said. "I mean, it's been my life. I've given my life to this business," he said. "I've destroyed my body because I love doing this so much ... And I knew great things were still coming. And -- it just destroyed me."

Hogan later philosophized, if everyone was judged based on their gravest mistakes or the most regrettable things they've ever said, the world would be a sad place.

"People get better every day," he said. "People get better."