Following a week of speculation as to what exactly Chris Brown did to Rihanna last weekend, and why, and with reports that the power couple of US pop had officially split up, Brown finally issued a statement this weekend.
Looking like it had been through several lawyers before reaching the press, the statement said that Brown was sorry for "what transpired" but provided very little insight into what happened and no real apology to Rihanna herself. With the police's investigation into the altercation - which left Rihanna bruised and possibly unconscious - still under way, presumably Brown didn't want to say anything that could incriminate himself. So instead he talked about his family and God. And stressed that much of what has been said about the incident to date is wrong, and certainly any other comments credited to him online are false.
Brown: "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counselling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person. Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong. While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds".
If Brown's lacklustre apology didn't piss off Rihanna's fans, then comments made by one of his cousins, Phylicia Thompson, probably did. Though not defending her cousin's actions, Thompson said Brown must have been provoked to behave the way he did. She told US TV show Extra: "There had to be something to provoke him for Chris to do it. He wouldn't have done it just to be having fun. Yes, he's done something wrong, because he put his hands on her, but you don't know what happened. He had to be provoked to do it. Everybody loved Chris… This comes as a surprise to me".
The latest c'leb to comment on the incident is Jay-Z, who was heavily involved with Rihanna's career during his time heading up Universal's Def Jam label. He called on everyone to support Rihanna as she recovers from last weekend's incident and the subsequent split from Brown, telling reporters: "It's not a sound bite, this is a real situation. If you can't have compassion for others … just imagine it being your sister or your mom or someone like that, then think about how you should talk about that. I just think we all should just support her. She's going through a tough time. You gotta realize she's a young girl, as well. She's very young".
Rihanna is currently with her family in Barbados recovering from the ordeal. Meanwhile, the police continue to investigate the altercation after the District Attorney last week asked for more information before decide what charges to press (presumably whether to increase current criminal threat charges to actual assault charges). Brown is due in court next month in relation to the incident.