Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek, who was caught on camera snatching a hat from a child, has responded with an apology after the footage went viral. The apology was posted to his Facebook account.
'I would like to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself,' Szczerek wrote on social media.
He said he gave the hat back to the boy and apologised.
'I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child,' he wrote in a statement. 'This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.'
'It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility for me,' he added.
The statement went viral along with an unconfirmed statement, allegedly written by him, in which he appeared to lack remorse.
That statement read: 'The recent incident at the tennis match has caused a disproportionate online uproar. It's all about the famous hat, of course. Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I've always said, life is first-come, first-served.'
'I understand that some people might not like it, but please, let's not make a global scandal out of the hat. It's just a hat. If you were faster, you would have it,' he allegedly continued.
The alleged, unconfirmed statement could not be verified because the CEO had deactivated his social media accounts; however, screenshots of the supposed statement have gone viral.
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