MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The leader of an organization that provides mentoring to Memphis students released a statement Wednesday clarifying what he called “misinformation.”

Dow McVean with the Peer Power Foundation said he needed to address the news after his name came up again with the recent decision by the Memphis-Shelby County School board to fire Dr. Marie Feagins.

Feagins filed suit against the board, and that lawsuit alleged that City Councilman JB Smiley conspired to get her fired after her highly publicized feud with McVean. Some of those details came to light Tuesday.

Back in August, Feagins filed an order of protection against McVean, alleging he used profanity and followed her after a meeting in which he was told the schools would not continue their contract with Peer Power.

McVean said he apologized to Feagins in a letter sent Aug. 11, saying he was frustrated that the decision wasn’t communicated to Peer Power sooner.

“I was caught off guard and upset by Dr. Feagins’ unilateral cancellation of the program, and I was frustrated that this April decision had not been communicated to Peer Power sooner. Peer Power spent more than $700,000 during June-August retaining, hiring, and training University of Memphis students to tutor and mentor in the classrooms of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In my reaction, I said some words I later regretted,” McVean said in a statement.

He attached a copy of the letter to his statement.

McVean also said Feagins requested her petition for an order of protection be dismissed a month later.

“To be clear: Neither I nor Peer Power are a party in a pending lawsuit. Further, while my name has been associated with Councilman J.B. Smiley in recent articles, to the best of my knowledge I have never met him nor have I contributed to his campaigns,” McVean wrote.