Ne-Yo: ‘I Spoke To Rihanna. She Says She’s Fine’

Ne-Yo has revealed he has spoken to Rihanna since the alleged incident between the pop singer and Chris Brown.

“I spoke to Rihanna,” Ne-Yo told MTV News. “She says she’s fine. She didn’t go into detail about what happened. I understand it’s a painful situation; I didn’t push.”

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, authorities said Brown and a woman were arguing in a car in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles just after midnight on Sunday February 8.

Brown reportedly stopped the car, he and the woman got out and the argument escalated. A spokesperson for the LAPD previously told Access that the woman suffered visible injuries.

Due to victims’ rights, police would not confirm the woman involved was Rihanna, however, a photograph reportedly of Rihanna, showing the singer bruised and with a bloody nose, leaked onto TMZ’s Web site last week.

Ne-Yo, a friend of both of the stars, said he has seen the photo and was very affected by it.

“I saw the picture,” he confirmed. “That just really — that hurt me to my heart, man. Again, I still don’t know what happened, ‘cause I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Chris yet. But to take it to that level really hurt my heart.”

Ne-Yo said he is hoping to speak with Brown soon about the alleged incident.

“All I can say is, I’m praying for both of them. They’re both in my prayers. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Chris yet. I just wanna sit down and talk to that dude and just explain if he doesn’t understand: ‘That’s not something that’s excusable, bruh. You have to get a little smarter about whatever it is going on in your relationship. You have to get a little smarter about how you handle certain situations,’” Ne-Yo said.

While he has some strong advice for Brown, Ne-Yo said he still cares about the young man.

“I’m not going to crucify him,” the R&B star said. “I’m not going to do that. That’s still my homeboy at the end of the day. For it to go to that level was wrong. I won’t say who was responsible. I won’t pick no sides. I’m just saying it was wrong [that] it had to happen like that, and I’m praying for the both of them.”

A little over a week ago, Brown released a statement.

“Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired,” he said in the statement. “I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.”