-- WWE star Jacob Fatu has been in the news lately for an unfortunate situation in which a charity claimed that he canceled a booking but never gave them back an amount of money that they had compensated him for the appearance.
-- The Jake's Network of Hope initially claimed back in June that Fatu cited a family emergency and bailed on a show in April after they had already paid him $2,633 which included airfare, hotel and promotional material. However, when it came time to pay back the amount, the charity alleged that Fatu "ghosted" them, forcing them to go public with the matter.
-- On Monday, the charity released a new statement implying that while Fatu had no paid back the amount, he acknowledged that he owed them money:
Jacob Fatu and our organization are addressing this matter privately, beginning with a phone call and heartfelt apology back in May. While the full amount owed hasn’t yet been repaid, we appreciated Jacob’s acknowledgment. It can be tough to face up to your wrongdoings, and we commend him for taking steps toward confronting his.
-- In a twist to the story, multiple sources reported yesterday that the issues between the charity and Fatu were actually resolved in June and when the charity was contacted after that revelation, they also confirmed that a full payment was made but was "overlooked" around the time that Fatu signed with WWE. An updated statement read as follows:
"In May, Jacob Fatu reached out with a heartfelt apology, initiating a meaningful dialogue that allowed us to work together with all parties involved to find solutions and fully resolve the matter. This event aimed to confront the challenging realities of poverty and the immense obstacles to overcoming it. While not everything unfolded perfectly, we are grateful for the awareness raised around diaper need and the substantial costs of providing essential products to families.
We especially want to thank NOW Wrestling for their incredible support. Their commitment to raising awareness, along with their generous donation of 50/50 raffle proceeds from recent events, has been invaluable in advancing our mission to end diaper need. We’re also deeply appreciative of the wrestling organizations and media outlets that helped spotlight this cause, underscoring the importance of addressing poverty and meeting basic needs.
As Jacob Fatu embarks on his WWE journey, we wish him every success and are inspired by the solidarity shown across the wrestling community in support of this critical mission."
