As seen in now-viral video of the US Open, Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek has spoken out after infamously soaring to Internet fame last week. Paving company Drogbruk’s chief issued an online statement on social media on Monday, September 1 (US time), apoligising to the young boy he’d seemingly stolen an autographed cap from at the major tennis event.

In the clip now breaking the Internet, Szczerek was spotted snatching a cap personally signed and handed out by tennis star Kamil Majchrzak. The Polish athlete had reached out to the young boy standing beside the millionaire and swiftly moved on after doing so. However, at the time, he failed to notice that instead of the child grabbing onto the merchandise, Szczerek quickly took a hold of it. Even though the boy spoke out against it, the Polish millionaire merely turned his back to him to secure the cap in a bag.

He has since written out an apology addressed to the child pictured in the video, saying that he thought the passed on cap was meant for his sons.

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Polish CEO speaks out after now-viral US Open video drowns him in backlash

Taking to Facebook, the millionaire wrote in Polish, “”I would like to unequivocally apologize to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself. I have made a huge mistake.” The translated post went on to say, “I would like to unequivocally apologize to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself. I have made a huge mistake,” he wrote in a post translated to English,” as per BBC.

He then claimed that while the video becoming the talk of the world may position as an ill-intentioned man who appeared to have “consciously” taken away a memento from a child, it was never his plan to hurt the kid. “This wasn’t my intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans,” he added. “The hat was given to the boy, and apologies to the family. I hope I’ve at least partially repaired the damage that was done.”

Calling what happened a “needed lesson in humility,” the Polish CEO further debunked any other statements going viral under his name. Szczerek noted that he and his family hadn’t pushed out any other comments regardless of what social media may be suggesting otherwise. For his “family’s sake,” the millionaire also disabled the comments for his Monday post.

Piotr Szczerek’s fake statement went viral

Prior to his official statement’s emergence, an image stating his supposed reaction to the incident shook the Internet. Spreading like wildfire, the purported statement, which has now been dismissed as fake, allegedly quoted Piotr Szczerek saying that there was no need to make a “global scandal out of the hat.”

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“If you were faster, you would have it,” the statement read further, as the Polish millionaire appeared to threaten those spewing hateful comments with legal action.

Kamil Majchrzaka addressed the viral snafu

Tennis icon Majchrzak, on his part, took note of what had happened much later. He even took to his Instagram Stories to send out a message to the young lad. According to the New York Post, the Polish sports star even met up with the boy named Brock, revealing that Szczerek sponsors his tennis federation in Poland.

“Obviously it was some kind of confusion,” he told the outlet. “I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super-tired and super-excited for the win. I just missed it. I had like a dead look, if you know what I mean. I’m sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions.”

The tennis pro also divulged that the man who’d been blasted as a “common thief” on SNS stepped to make things right with Brock. “I gave him the credentials for Brock’s mom on the same social media I was using to contact her,” Majchrzak said, hoping that the businessman could do right on his end.