A CEO faced intense backlash online after a video went viral of him snatching an autographed hat from a child at the US Open. He has now spoken out about the incident.
The footage went viral online
A video of Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek, who runs the paving company Drogbruk, went viral when it showed him seemingly ‘stealing’ a signed hat from a little boy at the US Open on Thursday, August 28.
The child was being given a hat
In the video, tennis player Majchrzak was handing a signed hat to the child when Szczerek seemed to quickly grab it and tuck it away into a bag despite the child’s protests.
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The moment sparked outrage online and quickly made the rounds on the internet.
He has now made a statement about it
Since then, Szczerek has posted a statement on social media on Monday, September 1, apologizing to the boy.
He also said he thought the autographed item was for his own kids, the BBC reports.
The CEO apologized to the boy and his family
In a post translated to English, he wrote, “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.”
“Emotionally, in the crowd cheering after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing his hat in my direction – for my sons who had asked for autographs earlier.”
He didn’t intend on stealing it from the kid
“I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child. This wasn’t my intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans,” Szczerek went on.
“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.”
The moment taught him ‘humility’
Szczerek, who said the moment was ‘a needed lesson in humility’, disabled the comments on his Monday post ‘for my family’s sake’.
According to the New York Post, Majchrzak met with the little boy not long after the Thursday match, and posed with him for photos that he later posted on Instagram Stories.
The player didn’t notice where the hat went
In the original video, Majchrzak seemed to not have noticed the hat being taken from the boy as he continued to sign items for other fans.
He later told the Post he thought it was ‘some kind of confusion.’
He thought the incident was unintentional
Majchrzak said, “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.”
