Buddy Matthews (fka WWE’s Buddy Murphy) took to Twitter this week and issued an apology over the photo he posted to celebrate his WWE non-compete clause ending on Tuesday.
As noted, Buddy received a significant amount of social media backlash on Tuesday for posting a graphic that referenced his WWE non-compete expiring. The post included a photo of someone breaking free from chains on their wrists, with a caption that said, “It’s here! #FreeAgent”
Buddy deleted the tweet not long after posting it due to backlash from people on Twitter, who accused Murphy of comparing his WWE run to slavery, and making light of the topic. The image he used is the first one listed on a Google Image search for “freedom.” Buddy then posted another image with the “#freeagent” hashtag, showing birds flying out of a cage. That image is the second listed on the “freedom” Google Image search.
In an update, Buddy later tweeted an apology and said he didn’t intend to offend anyone.
“My apologies for the tweet I posted earlier today if it offended you. It wasn’t my intention AT ALL! And FAR from what I intended it to mean! deleted the the tweet. Once again. My apologies!,” Buddy wrote.
Buddy’s tweet with the bird cage is still live as of this writing. You can see that tweet below, along with a screenshot of the deleted tweet.
Buddy, who was released from WWE back on June 2, is rumored to be headed to Impact Wrestling, but nothing is confirmed as of this writing.
