Oct 24, 2015 03:43 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Rihanna's former publicist apologized publicly for spreading rumors that Jay Z had an affair with the singer, The New York Daily News reported.

The rumor can be traced back to Rihanna's debut single, "Pon De Replay," which was released 10 years ago.

"The pr stunt that I did was out of desperation to help break 'Pon de Replay'," Jonathan Hay wrote in his statement. "It was reckless and I didn't think it was going to work. I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick."

What prompted Hay to go public with his apology was celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborelli, author of a forthcoming,  unauthorized biography about the life of Beyonce titled "Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story." According to Vibe, Taraborelli claimed the cheating rumors almost ruined Beyonce and Jay Z's marriage.

"I was blindsided by the news of 'Becoming Beyoncé' coming out and it couldn't come at a worse time for me," Hay told The New York Daily News. "I'm currently releasing projects with my label Urban Hitchcock through Tidal, a company that is owned by Jay Z and Beyoncé ... Hopefully this news hasn't ruined that relationship for me."

Hay, who admitted to having a naïve perspective while he was Rihanna's publicist, said he didn't think his rumor would have this much impact, and that others would profit off of it,

 "I didn't think it would be this big story," Hay wrote. "But now, seeing Beyoncé on the cover of this book and knowing that people are profiting from speculations and opinions about her really turns my stomach. I'm ashamed that I'm even talking about this. I just want to put this rumor to rest once and for all."

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