Impact Wrestling’s Joey Ryan issued a long statement on his social media channels after his name cropped up as one of those who sexually abused female wrestlers throughout the years. Ryan said that this is an important topic that truly deserves the time it is getting even though it is uncomfortable.

“After speaking with my attorney, I have been advised not to respond to any specific allegations at this time. And the truth of the matter is, I do not want to spend time dissecting which parts of stories are true, which parts are different from what I remember and which things being said are outright false. It is important for me to use this platform to take responsibility and not attempt to minimize the feelings of anyone that was hurt by me in order to save face,” Ryan wrote.

Ryan said that today he must take responsibility for the way he behaved in the past, noting that when the “dick flip” went viral, he traveled the world like a rockstar and came into contact with a lot of people, including women. “And, the truth is, I did not always treat people with respect. And I will acknowledge that it was possible that I pursued people that I thought were interested in me and invaded their personal space and made them feel uncomfortable in the process,” he wrote.

The popular star added that he and his wife separated two years ago and he entered counseling in October 2018 and still attend every week to this very day. “I have been on prescription medication. I have worked every day for nearly two years to be a person that respects not only people’s boundaries, but respects people. If you felt that you were a person that I did not treat with respect, I apologize. Aside from this post, I have been reaching out to some of the people involved and we have had positive interactions and started the healing process.”

Ryan said that he worked hard to make “wrestling a safe and welcoming place for everyone” and will make up for his shortcomings by working harder in the future.

His somewhat apology received a mixed reaction and was not welcomed by his accusers. One in particular, a British indie wrestler by the name of Jetta, called him a “piece of sh*t” and said that two weeks after he proposed to his wife, he made sure that the two of them were the only ones in a taxi back to the hotel after a show and kept trying to hold her hand no matter how many times she told him to “get the f*ck off” her.

“I asked you about your partner you didn’t give sh*t, you kept trying to put your hand on mine. We got to the hotel you wanted me to come to your room I said no I waited for you to get your key and didn’t want you to know my room or get in a lift alone with you. I had the confidence to tell you to f*ck off and you still persisted you hide behind this ‘good guy’ persona you are not. From my experience you don’t take no for an answer, you are notorious,” Jetta wrote in a reply to Ryan’s tweet.