Mice & Men and Attack Attack! vocalist Austin Carlile has responded to sexual abuse allegations made on social media last week . Check out the full letter below.
"In my youth, I was absolutely not the best person, but I never physically abused, mocked, forced, or drugged any woman. These accusations are false and defamatory."
I am not a perfect person: I smoked marijuana daily, drank frequently, fought, and acted like an idiot more times than I can imagine. I did things and acted in ways I'm not proud of, but I never violated anyone. These 'accusations' spread on social media, in our current climate of 'cancel culture,' are extremely heinous and completely without merit.
My wife is a survivor of abuse and rape, and I have personally witnessed the deep and long-standing pain she struggles with every day. I have spent years surrendering my flesh to God, allowing Him to constantly improve who I am as a man, husband, and father. Just last week, I even had the joy of seeing my newborn son's heartbeat for the first time. Today, I focus on supporting my pregnant wife, our daughter, this new blessing in our lives, my health, my wife's health, and striving to be a better person every day.
These allegations were investigated by the competent authorities and independent journalists and were found to be unfounded. I apologize to the Marfan Foundation, I Am Second, my former bandmates, and any of our dedicated fans who were unfairly brought into this controversy, and I wish them all nothing but the best.
All women deserve to feel safe, supported, and heard, but these unfair attacks on my family and accusations against me are decades-old claims that are unfounded.
So far, Caitlyn Stiffler , who brought the allegations to light, has not commented on Carlile's letter.