Hat-snatching millionaire sorry after viral backlash
A Polish CEO, who was caught on camera snatching a signed hat off a child at the US Open, has broken his silence – and offered an explanation for the “serious mistake”.
Source: X
A millionaire CEO who copped viral backlash for snatching an autographed tennis hat from a child at the US Open has broken this silence with an apology.
Piotr Szczerek was filmed grabbing the hat from the boy’s outstretched hands at the weekend as tennis star Kamil Majchrzak interacted with fans after his winning match.
Public disgust at his behaviour sparked angry online criticism, with people targeting the wealthy Polish CEO’s paving stone business, Drogbruk.
The business’s Google ratings plummeted to 1.3 stars, while Trustpilot closed its site for reviews as people wrote comments like, “Who would want to do business from someone who steals from a child?”
Szczerek said the incident, which turned him into a villain, was a “necessary lesson in humility”.
“I would like to unequivocally apologise to the boy who was harmed, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself,” Szczerek wrote on Instagram.
“I made a serious mistake.
“In the emotions, in the crowd’s joy after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was handing the cap in my direction — for my sons, who had earlier asked for autographs.
“It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility for me.”
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Szczerek said he had apologised to the boy and his family.
“For years, together with my wife, I have been involved in helping children and young athletes, but this situation showed me that one moment of carelessness can undo years of work and support,” he wrote.
“Therefore, I will engage even more actively in initiatives supporting children and youth, as well as in actions against violence and hate.
“I believe that only through deeds can I rebuild the lost trust.
“Once again, I apologise to everyone I have let down.”
The tennis player, Majchrzak, told The New York Post the debacle had happened in a moment of “some kind of confusion.”
He said Szczerek was a sponsor of his tennis federation in Poland.
“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,” Majchrzak said.
“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.”
Majchrzak made it up to the boy on Saturday when the pair met and he gave him a new signed hat and other gifts.
