Now Playing 
ABC/Lou RoccoMatt Barnes is standing by the claims he made during a TMZ Sports interview, in which he insinuated he was dating Rihanna. Despite the singer flatly denying the speculation on Instagram, the Memphis Grizzlies forward insists he’s telling the truth.
During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Barnes declared that he’s “too grown to lie” about the nature of their relationship.
“I’m too grown to lie,” he stated. “You know what I mean? It is what it is, I’m going to let this blow by like everything else blows by…I just smiled. I just smiled, that’s it. What can you do? At the end of the day, we’re all grown-ups. Like I said, I’m too grown to be lying about stuff, but life is life. You live and you learn.”
Barnes continues, “My upbringing just doesn’t allow me to have that kind of stuff in it. Life, sports, whatever it is, I’m just about the truth. I’m always going to be me, even if you know sometimes my mouth gets me in trouble. I’m always going to be me, because I speak on things I feel passionately about. So love me or hate me, I’m going to be me regardless.”
Despite Barnes’ insistence he’s telling the truth, Rihanna hasn’t deleted her original Instagram denial, in which she writes #shesnotthatintoyou, #shesnotintoyouatall, #shesneverevenmetyou, #thisactuallyhurtmyfeelings, and #defamationofcharacter.
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
