NEW: Statement from Covington Catholic HS student Nick Sandmann says 'teacher chaperone' approved of school cheers

Greg P. | 7:33 PM on January 20, 2019

CNN’s Jake Tapper posted a statement from Covington Catholic HS student Nick Sandmann, the student in the now-viral videos showing a confrontation between students and Native American veteran Nathan Phillips:

Just in: Statement of Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic High School junior, about the event at the Lincoln Memorial: pic.twitter.com/PkuMh2cVZM

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 20, 2019

Sandmann’s account basically repeats everything we now know about the encounter, but with this very big new detail. According to Sandmann, one of the students in the crowd asked for and received permission to start the school cheer that looks to have led to the interaction with Phillips. It’s also important because many have asked why the chaperones didn’t step in when things escalated:

Because we were being loudly attacked and taunted in public, a student in our group asked one of our teacher chaperones for permission to being our school spirit chants to counter the hateful things that were being shouted at our group.

Sandmann also explained why he stayed “motionless and calm” during the encounter:

Nick Sandmann writes "I believed that by remaining motionless and calm, I was helping to diffuse the situation. I realized everyone had cameras and that perhaps a group of adults was trying to provoke a group of teenagers into a larger conflict." https://t.co/5KwUV2meev

— Vanessa Herring (@VanessaWBAL) January 21, 2019