https://9now.nine.com.au/today/mich...ok-place/e3b93805-5a18-4e86-95df-1d02bd8327b1
Michael Jackson's bodyguard calls popstar's accusers liars
Michael Jackson’s bodyguard has branded the men accusing the late popstar of abuse “liars”.
Appearing on Today, Bill Whitfield, who worked for Jackson from 2006 until his death in 2009, said the allegations made by Wade Robson and James Safechuck in the documentary Leaving Neverland were absolutely false.
“I normally do not watch Michael Jackson documentaries, certainly if they are from individuals that were prior to me or individuals who hadn't met him,” he explained.
“But when I heard the documentary [Leaving Neverland] involved a point in time in which Mr. Jackson was under my watch, I had to tune in.”
Jackson’s former bodyguard knew instantly Robson and Safechuck were “certainly lying”.
“I just immediately found, realised, these guys were certainly lying or certainly not being truthful about certain dates which they say they had seen Mr. Jackson,” Whitfield said.
When interviewer Tom Steinfort asked Whitfield to clarify if he believed the men were “liars”, he responded saying, “Absolutely”.
“I don't know what evidence they had,” he explained. “I watched a documentary like everybody else, I didn't see any evidence.
“I saw cut up pictures, one of the pictures certainly looked Photoshopped to me. It looked like they went through everything they needed to go through to make it believable.”
Allegations of abuse marred Jackson’s reputation while he was still alive, and have only mounted since his death and the release of Leaving Neverland. Nonetheless, Whitfield was adamant that Jackson’s legacy would not remain tainted.
“There will come a time the majority of people, I believe, will see this all as a farce and certainly a scheme to make some money,” he said.
Speaking about his time working for Jackson, Whitfield said that he did not personally see anything to make him believe any of the abuse allegations.
“I knew Mr Jackson personally, very well, and no, I don't believe any of those allegations are true,” he said. “Certainly, those [allegations] are things which I have heard about prior to going to work for him.
“At the time I was a single father myself and former law enforcement so I certainly paid attention, just to see if any of those things were true.
“Had I seen anything such as that, one: no, I would not have continued to work for him, and two: I certainly would have come forward with anything I had seen.”
This year marks a decade since Michael Jackson, then 50, was found dead in his Los Angeles mansion after overdosing on prescription drugs. Apparently stress was a contributor to his death, according to Whitfield.
“Being privy to some of the conversations he was having – I do feel that stress certainly played a major part,” he said.
In 2014, Whitfield himself published a book about his time working with Jackson, entitled Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days.
“I think a lot of them [the public] knew who the King of Pop was, but I wanted to give a behind-the-scenes, what I witnessed of the man, of the person, of the father,” Whitfield said of his book.
Despite recent public uproar in reaction to the abuse allegations, which saw some outlets banning Jackson’s music, Whitfield said he believes the allegations are quickly losing their potency.
“I see more and more that those stories are starting to die down and people are starting to do their research and starting to see there is another side to these allegations or these boys' story,” he explained.
“I think it's been falling apart slowly but surely.”
