CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses sexual assault
Earlier this month, former Of Mice & Men frontman, Austin Carlile faced several accusations of sexual assault and rape. Stories shared via social media claimed that 15 women had spoken to Alternative Press about their experiences of assault by Carlile, but the story was never published.
AP was accused of burying the story and released a lengthy statement explaining the trajectory of their investigation. You can find more background on Alternative Press’ investigation here.
Now, Carlile has shared a statement denying the allegations.
The statement begins, “In my younger years, I absolutely was not the best person, but I have never physically abused, preyed upon, forced myself upon, or drugged any woman. These accusations are false and defamatory.”
Austin Carlile then acknowledges he’s not a perfect person, pointing to smoking weed, drinking, and fighting when he was younger.
“I did things and acted in ways that I am not proud of, but never have I violated anyone. These ‘accusations’ being thrown around on social media, in our current ‘cancel culture’ climate, are extremely heinous and completely without merit,” the statement reads.
You can read the statement in full below.
Austin Carlile Statement
“In my younger years, I absolutely was not the best person, but I have never physically abused, preyed upon, forced myself upon, or drugged any woman. These accusations are false and defamatory.
I am not a perfect person: I smoked marijuana daily, drank often, got into fights and acted like a jerk more times than I can count. I did things and acted in ways that I am not proud of, but never have I violated anyone. These ‘accusations’ being thrown around on social media, in our current ‘cancel culture’ climate, are extremely heinous and completely without merit.
My wife is a molestation and rape survivor, and I have personally seen the deep, long-standing pain that she battles with every day. I have spent years surrendering my flesh over to God, allowing Him to constantly improve who I am as a man, husband, and father. During this past week, I have even had the joy of seeing the heartbeat of my new child for the very first time. Today, I am focused 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 accusations have been investigated by the appropriate authorities as well as independent journalists and were determined to be unfounded. I apologize to the Marfan Foundation, I Am Second, my former bandmates and any of our dedicated fans who have been unjustly brought into this controversy and wish them all nothing but the best.
All women deserve to feel safe, supported, and heard, but these unjust attacks upon my family and accusations against me, are decades-old claims that are unfounded.”
Image: Timothy Norris/Getty
If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.
For help or information regarding mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
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The views expressed by people and organisations quoted in this article are not the view of Music Feeds or its employees.
