An emotional Auston Matthews met with reporters on Friday, less than 24-hours after it had been announced that the charges against the 22-year-old had been dropped and the case, settled out of court.
Matthews issued a formal apology for the incident, during which, a very humble and sincere tone can be heard in the Arizona native's voice.
“I just want to reiterate again just how truly sorry I am for my actions and my behaviour,” Matthews said Friday. “I never meant to cause any distress to this woman and I can assure you that I've learned from my mistakes and my actions. It's something for myself to just strive every day to be better in every aspect of my life.”
Matthews has certainly become more aware of how his actions can affect others following the incident.
“It's something I had to deal with on a personal level,” said Matthews. “Obviously not a situation I'd like to be in, but it's been a big lesson learned for myself.”
Brendan Shanahan has also issued a statement, on behalf of the organization, addressing the dismissal of the charges against Matthews, expressing their appreciation for Auston's sincere public apology.
Statement from Shanahan on the Matthews charge being dismissed
"While Auston has been an exceptional ambassador for Leafs ... his conduct in this incident last May failed to meet expectations ... We appreciate that Auston has publicly reiterated today that he is truly sorry ..." pic.twitter.com/Og1qEnpfQ1— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 15, 2019
The Leafs' leading scorer can now put this whole ordeal behind him and focus on the task at hand as the Maple Leafs head into the first of back-to-back games Friday night against the Boston Bruins, preceding Saturday's matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Leafs are currently 9-7-4 and are in need of a big win at home against the Bruins as they look to turn things around ahead of a 6-game road trip.
Source: Sportsnet
