Drake's ex-bodyguard charged with assaulting bodybuilding influencer at Ontario gym
A Canadian bodybuilding content creator is speaking out against another fitness influencer who allegedly assaulted him while he was filming a workout video at a gym in Burlington this past weekend.
Jeff Nippard, known for his science-based approach to bodybuilding, boasts over two million followers on Instagram and nearly six million subscribers on YouTube.
The bodybuilding star broke his silence this week after a video surfaced showing him being pushed to the ground by another bodybuilder, Mike Van Wyck, at the Pure Muscle + Fitness gym in Burlington. Van Wyck boasts nearly 300,000 Instagram followers and previously worked as Drake's bodyguard for several years.
In a statement on Instagram, Nippard claimed that he was filming a bicep curls workout for a YouTube video when Van Wyck brushed by him and said, "Oh, things are about to get real funny."
After asking what he meant, Nippard alleges that Van Wyck approached him again, asked him to turn the camera off, and jabbed him in the throat. Nippard says he stood back up, at which point Van Wyck jabbed him in the throat for a second time and pushed his videographer against a cable machine.
Nippard fiercely denied rumours that Van Wyck asked him to stay away from him or that he approached Van Wyck first.
Although Nippard said he was unsure why Van Wyck reacted the way he did, he theorizes that the anger was brought on by a clip that he posted earlier responding to his question about science-based training.
In the video, Nippard defends science-based bodybuilding after Van Wyck asks, "Science guys really need to answer this question before anything, "Why is it that you remain so mediocre yet you know so much?'"
After the incident, Nippard said he went to the hospital for a CT scan and reassured his followers that he was okay.
The incident sent ripples through the country's fitness community, and most fellow bodybuilders rallied to Nippard's defence, although some also shared messages of support for Van Wyck.
After increased pressure to release video footage of the incident, Pure Muscle + Fitness released a statement, noting that the gym has a strict zero-tolerance policy for violence and bullying and that they are permanently removing Van Wyck's access to the facility, including any privileges to train clients.
Halton Regional Police also confirmed to TMZ that they have investigated the incident and have charged Van Wyck with two counts of assault.
Van Wyck has not issued an official statement yet but has reshared messages of support from his friends and fans on his Instagram stories.
@jeffnippard / @favoathletics
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