A week after Morgan Wallen was caught on video with a racial remark, he issued a lengthy video statement addressing the controversy, saying he had spoken to leaders in the black community, sharing that he was trying to sober be and acknowledge that ‘my words matter. He also sent a message directly to fans defending him: “Do not.
‘I have one favor to ask. I appreciate those who still see something in me and have defended me. But do not do it today. I was wrong. It is up to me to take ownership of this. And I accept all the fines I face, Wallen accepts in a video posted on Instagram Wednesday night, a week after the day after the country star lost radio and streaming support and his record deal was suspended indefinitely after the video of him the ‘N-word’ appears on TMZ.
Wallen admitted it was time to address supporters, his team and the industry that has been reprimanding him ever since. “I have not made a statement about my last incident for a long time. “I wanted to gather my thoughts, seek real guidance and come to you with a full mind before I did,” Wallen said, adding that he was drunk in the video.
‘You saw that at 72 I was a 72-hour flexibility. And it’s not something I’m proud of either. Obviously the natural thing to do is apologize and just apologize because you’re caught. “And that’s not what I wanted to do,” he said. ‘Since the video was taken, I’ve been sober for nine days. It’s not that long, but it’s enough to know that the guy in the video is not the guy I’m trying to be. ”
Wallen also says he accepted invitations to meet with black organizations and executives. Last week, both the Nashville chapter of the NAACP and the gospel singer BeBe Winans, an adviser to the BMI, offered to talk to Wallen about the power of his words.
“I admit to you that I was quite nervous about accepting the invitations,” Wallen said. ‘This week I heard first-hand personal stories of black people that shook me honestly. And I know what I’m going through this week does not even compare to some of the trials I’ve heard from them. ”
“Our actions are important, our words are important,” Wallen continued. “And I just want to encourage someone watching to learn from my mistakes.”