Lio Rush issued the following statement on Twitter following the Tony Khan-Big Swole controversy from New Year's Eve.

"I want this to be clear.. I do not consider this to be a diversity issue, and I at no point have thought or said that AEW or Tony is racist. We can all clearly see that wrestling as a whole and the AEW roster is perpetually diverse. The issue at hand was a racial insensitivity issue. Having spoken to Tony and Megah, we have discussed the endeavors to further understand the struggles of the black community. I am grateful to be able to understand more about Tony and Megah’s own ethnic backgrounds and glad that they are actively seeking input from an African American perspective. I am proud to work for a boss and company that try to make these strides in social equality. I look forward to working with Tony to keep making steps towards positive change. I pray that 2022 is a year of positive change in all aspects.

Happy New Year and GOD BLESS. #BeTheChange"

AEW President Tony Khan liked the tweet.