In June 2020, allegations of sexual misconduct began to swirl around former WWE NXT star Velveteen Dream, real name Patrick Clark Jr. Some of the allegations included that he had sent a sexually explicit image to an underage girl and had been grooming underage boys. He has denied the allegations repeatedly. Clark also faced legal issues in August of last year when he was initially arrested on charges of first-degree battery and trespassing, to which he pled not guilty. About a week later, he was also arrested for having an out-of-county warrant for a violation of probation.
Earlier today, Clark released a video on social media with the caption, “I apologize.”
“As you’ve probably seen or have heard over the course of the last few years, I want to apologize for my behavior, both professionally and personally,” he began. “I always preach to those closest to me about the power of accountability and responsibility. And I take full accountability for my behavior over the last three years of my life. When narratives were written about me, it doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter what was written about me; it didn’t matter what was said about me, it doesn’t matter what’s on the internet about me; I was wrong. Okay?
“And because of that, I need to apologize to a few people. First, I want to apologize to the WWE organization. I want to apologize to the WWE organization for any unwanted attention and negative press that I brought to your brand and your product. I want to apologize to the WWE fans and the Velveteen Dream fans. Because when you hear the name Velveteen Dream, it should have only been spoken about in a productive and in a positive light. Not the name Patrick Clark, as another statistic of what happens when talent and opportunity meet immaturity. Okay?
“That’s not what you spend your hard-earned money on. It’s not what you invest your time and your money in. When you look on the TV, and you come to the shows, you should escape reality, not have to deal with mine. I want to apologize to the WWE and the fans. I want to apologize to Paul Levesque. Paul, you’re such an understanding and patient man and leader, and getting the opportunity to work with you and to learn from you. I get the sense of what makes you who you are and how you’ve been able to handle the responsibility of being in the public light for such a long time.
“I want to apologize to you, Paul; I’m sorry. I also want to say I’m sorry to Shawn Michaels. Shawn, it’s still beyond me that I’ve been having the opportunity in this lifetime to learn from you, to have your mentorship and your guidance. And I apologize if you feel like you’ve wasted your time and your energy investing into me, you have not. I’m still a work in progress. I’m still learning, and I remember all the lessons that you’ve taught me, Shawn; I’m sorry.
“My best friend, to Hoodie Miles (sp?). I want to apologize to you because before you were tied to me publicly for the support you’ve given me and you continue to give me; your resume was impeccable. And I apologize for any smudges that I may have put on that resume because of my behavior. You’re the last person that should have to deal with anything like that, and I’m sorry, man.
“I want to apologize to my family. My mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my nieces and my nephews, because you may read things. You may hear about things; you may be confronted by people who you don’t know. And you might feel the need to explain yourselves on my behalf. I just want you to know that you do not have to do that ever. No one should have to explain anything for Patrick Clark. No one should have to trend because of Patrick Clark.
“No one should have to ask, you know, answer the questions. Where’s Patrick now? What did Patrick do? What happened with Patrick? That’s an actual responsibility, and I don’t want you to feel burdened with that responsibility. That’s my responsibility. Okay? And I apologize to you all for any energy, negative energy that has had to come your way because of me. Okay?
“Again, I want to apologize to the fans and those in my professional and personal life that I’ve affected by my behavior. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I recognize that I was losing myself, and I apologize to anyone that I lost along the way. Anyone that I’ve upset or offended because of my behavior, man, I’m sorry. And I hope you all forgive me. Thank you.”
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