Cee Lo Green has tweeted and deleted some controversial comments about rape since pleading no contest to a felony count of furnishing ecstasy to a woman.
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The 39-year-old former The Voice coach, formally known as Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, reached a plea deal on Friday stemming from a July 2012 incident in which he allegedly drugged a woman in a Los Angeles sushi restaurant. The woman claimed she had woken up naked in Green's bed the morning after their night out with no memory of what happened after dinner.
In his tweets obtained by BuzzFeed, Green tried to differentiate rape from sexual consent, which his lawyer had argued in the case.
"If someone is passed out they're not even WITH you consciously! so WITH implies consent," Green reportedly tweeted on Sunday. "People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!"
Green also appeared to address his no contest plea specifically, asking his followers, "So if I tried but did NOT succeed but the person said I DID then what really happened?"
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Green deleted the messages that night, and according to BuzzFeed, the artist issued an apology before deactivating his entire Twitter account shortly afterwards.
"Let me 1st praise god for exoneration fairness & freedom! Secondly I sincerely apologize for my comments being taken so far out of context," he reportedly wrote.
"I only intended on a healthy exchange to help heal those who love me from the pain I had already caused from this. Please forgive me as it... was your support that got me thru this to begin with. I'd never condone the harm of any women. Thank you."
Green has since reactivated his account without much explanation or a new statement of any kind.
A no contest plea is entered when a person does not admit his or her guilt -- therefore technically remaining innocent -- yet does admit the truth of the facts alleged in the indictment.
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As part of his plea deal, Green is reportedly on probation for three years, must execute 360 hours of community service at the MusiCares Foundation of the Recording Academy, and attend 52 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with a private therapist.
On Friday, prior to Green's controversial tweets, the singer's representative told E! News he was "pleased that the District Attorney's office would allow him the opportunity to resolve this appropriately and maintain his innocence," adding, "He is happy to put this behind him and continue to move forward."
In October 2013, Green pleaded not guilty and was facing up to four years in prison if convicted. No sexual assault charge had been pressed because there reportedly lacked sufficient evidence. Green will return to court on March 5, 2015 for a progress report, according to BuzzFeed.
Green starred on The Voice, which debuted in Spring 2011, for its first three seasons alongside fellow original coaches Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.
Green took a break in Season 4, when he was replaced by Usher, but then returned for the show's fifth season. He announced in February he was leaving the reality singing competition and never coming back.
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The Voice's seventh season is set to premiere on September 22 at 8PM ET/PT on NBC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski