Patrick Clark, the man formerly known as The Velveteen Dream, has owned up to his past mistakes.
Past issues
Clark was accused of having inappropriate contact with minors in 2020. He had originally put out a statement noting that he was working with authorities to resolve the situation, leading to him being used only a few times on NXT TV.
His last match coming against Adam Cole in December 2020. Clark also had backstage heat with several people in NXT due to his behavior before he was released in 2021.
He was later arrested on August 26th, 2022, after his previous arrest on August 20th for misdemeanor battery and trespassing charges, as the August 26th arrest was due to an out-of-county warrant related to the possession of drug paraphernalia.
Dream was also accused of filming fellow wrestlers in the bathroom without their consent in addition to his arrests, accusations of recklessness in matches, wellness violations, and other issues.
Apology video
As seen below, Dream issued an apology video on Instagram where he asked Triple H, Shawn Michaels, fans, and the company to forgive him for his past issues.
‘As you’ve probably seen or heard over the course of the last few years. I want to apologize for my behavior, both professionally and personally. I always preach to those closest to me about the power of accountability and responsibility, and I take full accountability for my behavior over the last three years of my life. When narratives were written about me, it doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter what was written about me. It didn’t matter what was said about me. It doesn’t matter what’s on the internet about me. I was wrong, okay? And because of that, I need to apologize to a few people.
First, I want to apologize to the WWE organization. I want to apologize to the WWE organization for any unwanted attention and negative press that I brought to your brand and your product. I want to apologize to the WWE fans and The Velveteen Dream fans because when you hear the name Velveteen Dream, it should have only been spoken about in a productive and positive light. Not the name Patrick Clark as another statistic of what happens when talent and opportunity meet immaturity. Okay, that’s not what you spend your hard-earned money on. It’s not what you invest your time and your money in. When you look on the TV, and you come to the shows, you should escape reality, not have to deal with mine. I want to apologize to the WWE and the fans. I want to apologize to Paul Levesque. Paul, you are such an understanding and patient man and leader and getting the opportunity to work with you and to learn from you, I get the sense of what makes you who you are and how you’ve been able to handle the responsibility of being in the public light for such a long time. I want to apologize to you, Paul. I’m sorry. Also, I want to say I’m sorry to Shawn Michaels. Shawn, it’s still beyond me that I’ve been having the opportunity in this lifetime to learn from you and to have your mentorship and guidance. And I apologize if you feel like you’ve wasted your time and your energy investing into me. You have not. I’m still a work in progress. I’m still learning. And I remember all the lessons that you’ve taught me. Shawn, I’m sorry.” He also apologized to his best friend.
Dream continued, “I want to apologize to my family: my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my nieces, and my nephews. Because you may read things, you may hear about things, you may be confronted by people who you don’t know. And you might feel the need to explain yourselves on my behalf. I just want you to know that you do not have to do that ever. No one should have to explain anything for Patrick Clark. No one should have to trend because of Patrick Clark. No one should have to ask, you know, to answer the questions. ‘Where is Patrick now? What did Patrick do? What happened with Patrick?’ That’s not your responsibility. And I don’t want you to feel burdened with that responsibility. That’s my responsibility, okay? And I apologize to you all for any energy. Negative energy that has had to come your way because of me. Okay. Again, I want to apologize to the fans and those in my professional and personal life that I’ve affected by my behavior. I’m sorry. I recognize that I was losing myself, and I apologize to anyone that I lost along the way. Anyone that I’ve upset or offended because of my behavior. Man, I’m sorry, and I hope you all forgive me. Thank you.”
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