Independent Wrestler Clutch Adams Issues Statement Over Racial Slurs

As reported yesterday, Independent wrestler Clutch Adams has his match pulled from AEW Dark due to the discovery of racist/homophobic slurs and brought to the attention of AEW officials.

Clutch disabled his Twitter account but has since returned to issue the following statement:

"I am sitting here at my computer staring and trying to come up with the words that best describe how devastated and horrible I am feeling right now.

The best that I can come up with is that I am truly sorry. I am sorrier than I have ever been about anything in my life.

When I wrote those original tweets seven years ago, I was a 19-year-old kid. I was trash-talking friends about a football game on Twitter. At that point, in time, I was ignorant to the pain that those words could cause people. In 2013, it was meant to be locker room trash talk that I felt was OK to use in that context. Now, I know differently. I was not a hateful person back then, as I am not a hateful person today. I was stupid and ignorant. Plain and simple, no excuses.

The recent tweet where I mentioned, “I’m not butt buddies with the promoter,” was in no way meant as a gay slur. That term, as I know it, is slang for being close or tight with someone. The notion that a slang term could also be viewed in a negative light never occurred to me. I deeply regret it. If I ever thought it would be taken in an offensive way, I never would have written it. I am extremely sorry and apologize to anyone who read those tweets and was offended by those tweets.

I am a 27-year-old father of a soon to be 3-year-old girl. She is my life, and my world. All I ever wanted to do was to provide for her. To give her a better life. For her to be proud of me. I just want to make her proud. I understand that today, she would not be. That is a pain that will haunt me. That I will have to live with.

I want to apologize to Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, QT Marshall, and everyone at All Elite Wrestling. You gave me the biggest break in my career. I am truly sorry for the embarrassment that I caused the company and yourselves. I wish you all of the best, and apologize that my mistakes ended our relationship.

I want to apologize to Tony and the wrestlers, staff, and crew at PPW. I always tried to represent the company the way a champion should represent the company. You stood by me, and booked me as your top attraction. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, and wish we could have departed under better circumstances.

To Beyond Wrestling. I am sorry for lashing out and did not mean to offend your organization with that tweet. If I could take it back, I most certainly would.

To Danny Cage and the Monster Factory, I apologize if those tweets make others look at the school in a negative light. It was a great place to learn how to wrestle. I will always be grateful. I am sorry.

To my fiancé, my daughter, my family, and my friends. You know the real me. You know the person I am. I am sorry for the pain and disappointment this is causing you. I love you all with all of my heart.

To the fans, I am extremely sorry. Clutch Adams was the man you love to hate. He was never meant to be the man you just hated. Aside from my daughter being born, my biggest joy came from entertaining you inside the ring for the last 6 years.

To those who I have offended, I am most sorry to you. I cannot apologize enough.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
George"