For those who also audibly gasped at the now viral clip of wealthy businessman, Piotr Szczerek, snatching tennis player Kamil Majchrzak's signed hat out of the hands of a child following a match, we have news for you: the equally viral 'statement' that Szczerek made, in which he seemingly couldn't be less apologetic? It appears to be a fake.
The so-called statement circulated on X soon after the US Open event on 28 August, and read: "The recent incident at the tennis match has caused a disproportionate online uproar. It's all about the famous hat, of course. Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I've always said, life is first come, first served."
It ruthlessly continued on to say, "I understand that some people might not like it, but please, let's not make a global scandal out of the hat. It's just a hat. If you were faster, you would have it."
However, while the primary source of that statement was never confirmed, Szczerek has now formally spoken out and apologised for his actions. The CEO said, via his business's account, he's working hard to make amends and has returned the hat to 10-year-old Brock.
"Due to the situation that occurred during Kamil Majchrzak's match at the US Open, I would like to unequivocally apologise to the boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself.
"I made a serious mistake. In the midst of emotion, amidst the crowd's celebration after the victory, I was convinced that the tennis player was passing the cap to me—for my sons, who had previously asked for autographs."
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He added (as reported by the BBC), "I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child. This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans."
Szczerek continued on to say he "would like to unequivocally apologise" and said he had returned the hat in the hopes of "at least partially repaired the damage that was done".
Elsewhere on X, Polish MP Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic posted, "Without a doubt, [Szczerek is] the most recognisable Polish businessman in the world. Billions of followers reached in a single day. Polish entrepreneurs will be struggling to recover from this image loss for years. Unfortunately!"
After hearing about the incident, tennis star Majchrzak posted on his own social channels asking for help in tracking Brock down, saying he wanted to offer him a replacement hat.
The previous unsubstantiated 'statement' that went viral is just one in a recent string of similar stories, notably in the case of another CEO caught in the act, Andy Byron. After a clip of him cosying up to HR executive Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert, despite being married, went viral, false comments attributed to the pair both took on a life of their own on social media.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
