(CP) Christian rock band Newsboys has issued a strongly worded statement in response to explosive allegations of sexual misconduct and drug abuse against their former frontman, Michael Tait, calling the allegations “devastating” and urging anyone affected to come back forward.
“Last night our hearts were shattered after we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait,” the band wrote in a statement Thursday afternoon. “While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we’re devastated even by the implications.”
The comments follow the publication of a two-and-a-half-year investigation by The Roys Report, which included accounts from multiple men who say Tait, former lead singer of DC Talk and Newsboys, groomed and assaulted them while touring within the Christian music industry.
The incidents allegedly occurred between 2004 and 2014. Tait has not responded publicly to the claims.
In their statement, Newsboys members Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips and Adam Agee expressed solidarity with the alleged victims.
“We absolutely don’t condone any type of sexual assault,” they said.
“The 4 of us are husbands and fathers. Between the 4 of us, we’ve got fourteen children,” they said. “Our wives and kids have made many sacrifices while we’ve got dedicated our lives to playing music together that glorifies God. We are horrified, heartbroken, and indignant at this report and in some ways, we feel as if we and our families have been deceived for the last fifteen years.”
Tait, who joined Newsboys in 2009 after achieving stardom with DC Talk, abruptly stepped down from the band in January. At the time, his departure was framed as a private decision rooted in prayer and reflection.
In an interview last month, Agee told The Christian Post the previous DC Talk singer surprised them with the news of his departure and easily told the band “he was going to deal with himself.”
“I do know that he left and he just gave us just a few the explanation why he was stepping down, and he just said he’ll deal with himself,” Agee said. “Other than that, I do not really know, because we didn’t really discuss it further. Hopefully, he’ll make some form of a press release soon, but that, again, is just as much as him. We wish it had happened slightly bit sooner, but there’s nothing we are able to do about that, and I believe we have tried to make essentially the most out of it, and we wish him all the perfect moving forward.”
However, the remaining band members now say Tait privately admitted to leading a “double-life.”
“When he left the band in January, Michael confessed to us and our management that he ‘had been living a double-life,’” the band wrote. “But we never imagined that it may very well be this bad.”
Published Wednesday evening, The Roys Report article detailed allegations from a minimum of three men, each 22 years old on the time of their alleged encounters with Tait, who claim the singer groomed and sexually assaulted them in separate incidents occurring in 2004, 2010 and 2014.
In each case, the alleged victims say they were befriended by Tait while working in or across the Christian music industry and described situations involving alcohol, unsolicited physical contact, and, in a single case, a proposal of cocaine aboard a tour bus.
Two of the boys alleged they woke as much as Tait fondling them after an evening of drinking. Another said Tait massaged him in a hot tub and later in bed without consent, allegedly touching his anal region through the encounter. None of the alleged victims, who used pseudonyms within the report, filed police reports on the time but said they at the moment are speaking out to assist protect others.
According to the report, a few of the incidents took place at Tait’s home in Brentwood, Tennessee, while others occurred on the road during Newsboys tours. In essentially the most recent case from 2014, a former Newsboys crew member alleged Tait groped him while he was asleep on the band’s tour bus, following an evening of heavy drinking.
The Roys Report also cited multiple sources who corroborated a pattern of excessive alcohol use and substance abuse by Tait during his time with the band.
The allegations against Tait, which The Roys Report known as “Nashville’s worst-kept secret,” have sent shockwaves through the Christian music industry, where he was long considered a pioneering and influential voice. His work with DC Talk within the Nineties helped bring contemporary Christian music to the mainstream, and his tenure with Newsboys contributed to multiple chart-topping albums and appearances in the favored “God’s Not Dead” film series.
As of Thursday afternoon, Tait has not issued a public comment or posted to his social media accounts.
 was the frontman of the Christian group Newsboys from 2009 until his sudden departure earlier this 12 months. (Facebook/Newsboys) (CP) Christian...){kind=link}