Campbell then summarized what he “DID know” and when he knew it, saying:
Michael reached out to me on December 30, 2024, to arrange a meeting; I informed him that I was out of town for the holidays until January 5th. He then expressed concern about the gravity of what he needed to share with me, stating, “Wes, I can’t live a lie for another day; I need to get clean. This is going to be heavy.” Our team met with Michael on January 6th, and I approached the conversation with a mindset to listen rather than judge. It was during this meeting that he revealed some of his struggles. He shared that he was “living a double life” abusing cocaine and as a result, when under the influence, as he put it, engaged in sensual type activity with both men and women. He also opened up and shared with us the elaborate ways in which he had managed to keep the drug use hidden from the band. At no point in this meeting did he indicate or confess to anything that even hinted at what would ultimately be reported or alleged, but he did then resign from the band requesting assistance in recovery from the substance abuse. Everyone agreed that Tait stepping down to seek help was a positive step forward, even despite the difficulty of making this decision with our spring tour just a few days away. In the days that followed, Michael turned to his separate personal management and spiritual counsel for closer assistance; these were individuals who have walked closely with Michael for over thirty years. Given what was shared and at the recommendation of our own spiritual and legal counsel, it was decided that Tait’s privacy firstly as an independently contracted individual and secondly as a friend should be respected at that point in time. We chose not to tell the world at that time about his substance abuse issue; it seemed his story to tell given the steps in place. I’ll say it again, we had no idea the fullness of his actions behind closed doors or that he may have been a possible risk to anyone’s safety, and so we proceeded with that approach while Michael sought treatment. Had we known the details as we now know, the response absolutely would have been different.
“For Newsboys, each band member has personal accountability procedures in place,” Campbell said. “When Michael joined our team fifteen years ago, he came to us with an established accountability infrastructure from his DC Talk days.”
“Those relationships have stuck with him this entire time, and as such, his personal manager, road pastor, and closest friends took over in rallying behind him to support him as needed while under treatment,” Campbell said.
Challenges and “possible unknown victims” await Newsboys’ future, Campbell said. “There is clearly much work to be done within the Newsboys organization as we must have guardrails in place along with a deep understanding amongst all staff that they are safe to report a problem or offense without any fear,” he added, “but also within the CCM music industry as a whole there is work for all of us to do.”
“I’ve wondered why the rumor mill was just that for so many years…full of gossip and rumor instead of Christ-like personal confrontation,” Campbell mused. “How many lives could have been saved from harm if people felt comfortable to report and those who knew something had actually said something?”
Campbell said that he intends “to make strides in our organization and can only hope this begins a larger conversation of healing and restoration along with opportunities for mentorship for up and coming talented musicians and industry-professionals who support the work of those musicians.”
Concluding his letter, Campbell thanked the board for allowing him to serve and said he looks forward to submitting the results of the internal investigation. “I absolutely believe it will exonerate the existing members of the Newsboys,” he said, “as well as our management team from being aware of or party to covering up any of the reported allegations.”
ChurchLeaders has reached out to the Gospel Music Association for comment and will update this article in the event of a response.
 after being accused of covering up Michael Tait’s alleged sexual misconduct.){kind=link}