Modest Mouse guitarist Simon O’Connor addressed allegations that he sent inappropriate text messages to an underage fan before being booted from the band.
“Firstly, I would like to just state that I unequivocally oppose any sexual behavior towards minors, as a human and a parent, it disgusts me,” the musician, who is in his 40s, wrote in a Reddit post last week, per Billboard.
“Throughout my adult life, there has been a person who has popped up from time to time with the intention of, for lack of a better term, messing with me,” he continued. “This person creates multiple social media accounts and deletes them … but always posts similar photos that I often recognize from previous accounts.”
O’Connor explained that one night he allegedly saw a “similar profile” was “liking” his posts and he assumed it was the “same person.”
“With poor judgement, I decided to reach out with a tasteless meme, a sticker that read “Simon calls your bluff,” and an attempt to indicate that I recognized the “barrage of likes” and similar photo content from the previous profiles,” he wrote.
“Almost a ‘gotcha.’ After a few minutes, I realized that I had made a mistake and this was not the person who I had dealt with before. I unsent the messages and immediately ceased communication.”
O’Connor took responsibility for his actions, claiming that he was “genuinely sorry to the person who received those messages.”
“They didn’t deserve to be put in that position, and I’m sorry for the stress and attention this has brought them,” he added.
“I know some people will choose not to believe me, and I understand that. I can’t change what’s happened. All I can do is tell the truth, take responsibility for my mistake, and apologize,” O’Connor concluded.
A moderator for the subreddit forum O’Connor posted in commented that they were able to confirm the poster was actually O’Connor.
A rep for O’Connor wasn’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
O’Connor spoke out after a Reddit user claimed they were a 17-year-old fan who had received “an erotic image” from the rocker, and accused him of commenting on their bikini pictures.
The teen claimed the encounters occurred when she was 16, and shared screenshots of their alleged conversations.
Modest Mouse announced Friday that O’Connor would not be joining them for their forthcoming North American tour, which kicks off Tuesday in Ojai, California.
“Simon O’Connor will not be joining us on the upcoming tour,” the musicians announced in an Instagram statement Friday.
“The good news is that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will be jumping in to play guitar. We look forward to being out there with you all.”
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