You sound like you've made up your mind about the situation already. Care to share your inside knowledge??
We don't know anything about the situation. And yes, it is jarring - but what if he's right? What if something along these lines IS going on - whether it's a misunderstanding or a massive secret? You gonna feel that way about him still? It's too early to pass judgment.
I'll say it again, people of his age have grown up in an era of public figures denying even provable truths because spin wins nowadays, it seems. Frankly, someone his age and in his position (player for institution, not part of leadership of institution) might have a completely legitimate concern about the spin machine making him look in the wrong even if he is not. So he puts things out there that show there is more than one side to the story.