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Topics: News, Social Media, Sport, World News
Rhiannon Ingle
The millionaire CEO who caused outcry online after being caught 'stealing' from a child at the US Open has issued a major update.
Piotr Szczerek has found himself the recipient of a seemingly relentless avalanche of online abuse after footage from the aftermath of last week's match between Polish tennis player, Kamil Majchrzak and Russia's Karen Khachanov went viral.
Majchrzak, who won the match on Thursday (28 August), did a victory lap around the court before taking his hat off and handing it to a young boy, called Brock, just seconds before Szczerek appeared to 'snatch' the cap away before popping it into a bag.
Needless to say, the ordeal has sent the internet into a complete frenzy, with many left foaming at the mouth over the CEO's actions.
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Taking to Facebook in his latest statement posted Monday (1 September), Szczerek began: "In connection with the incident that occurred during Kamill Majchrzak’s match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologise to the young boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself.
"I take full responsibility for my extremely poor judgment and hurtful actions. It was never my intent to steal away a prized memento from the young fan. I became caught up in the heat of the moment and the joy of the victory, and I believed Majchrzak was handing a hat to me to give to my sons, who had previously asked for autographs.
"Regardless of what I believed was happening, the actions I took hurt the young boy and disappointed the fans."
Szczerek assured that he has since 'sent the hat back' to the boy in question and has 'extended my sincere apologies to his family'.
"I hope, at least to a small extent, I was able to repair the harm I caused," he continued, before outlining that there are a number of false statements which have circled online, that only add fuel to the online hate train many social media are jumping on board on.
Szczerek added: "I also want to state clearly: neither I nor my wife nor my sons commented on this situation on social media or on any other platform.
"We did not hire any law firm regarding this matter. All statements appearing online accredited to us were false and were not authored by us or our representatives."
The millionaire, who co-founded Drogbruk, an outdoor paving and landscaping firm, back in 1999, went on to explain that he and his wife 'have been involved in supporting children and young athletes' for years now.
"But," the statement carried on. "This incident has shown me that a moment of inattention can undo years of work and support. It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility.
"Going forward, I will engage even more actively in initiatives that support children and youth, and I will take actions against violence and hate. I believe that only through actions can I rebuild the trust I have lost."
Szczerek concluded: "Once again, I apologise to everyone I let down.
"Please understand - for the sake of my family, I have decided to disable the ability to comment on this post.
"Sincerely, Piotr Szczerek."