Chris Brown has something to say about ex-girlfriend Rihanna's revealing interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, in which the singer spoke frankly about the Feb. 8 incident in which he assaulted her.
"While I respect Rihanna's right to discuss the specific events of February 8," Brown says in a statement to MTV News, "I maintain my position that all of the details should remain a private matter between us."
In the Diane Sawyer interview, Rihanna said that Brown, 20, put her in a headlock twice and bit her on the ear and fingers. "He had no soul in his eyes," Rihanna, 21, told Sawyer. "He was clearly blacked out."
And the singer — whose new album Rated R drops later this month — explained why she is speaking so publicly. "I knew I had to do this in order to move on for me and in order for my fans to move on . . . I don't want that five years from now every time they see Rihanna, they think of Chris Brown beating me. That's not who I am."
She also wishes her ex well in the interview.
In his statement today, Brown continued, "I do appreciate [Rihanna's] support and wish her the best. I am extremely sorry for what I did, and I accept accountability for my actions . . . Abuse of any kind is always wrong. The rest I leave it to God."
Brown was sentenced to five years of probation, six months of community service and one year of domestic violence counseling.