Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley claims former manager pressured him into a sexual relationship

Deryck Whibley has claimed he was "groomed" by his former manager, who "pressured" him into a sexual relationship.

The Sum 41 frontman was 16 when he met Greig Nori, who was 34, and while they shared a "special connection" on a creative level, he has alleged he was sexually and verbally abused by the Treble Charger singer over the years.

In his new memoir Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reports Deryck telling how he met Greig at a Treble Charger show and he invited him to watch his band perform, leading to the older musician becoming a mentor and they spent hours talking on the phone.

Greig ultimately became the group's manager, inviting them to parties and raves and helping them make connections.

Deryck, 44, wrote: "Greig had one requirement to be our manager — he wanted total control.

"We couldn't talk to anyone but him, because the music business is 'full of snakes and liars' and he was the only person we could trust."

Deryck alleged his mentor "passionately" kissed him in a bathroom during a night out when he was 18, leaving the singer confused and shocked as he had never been attracted to men before.

He claimed Greig urged him to explore their connection as many rock stars were "queer" and "most people are bisexual; they're just too afraid to admit it".

He added: "He was so relentless and convincing that after a while, I started to believe that maybe he was right."

The manager told Deryck he had never been attracted to another man but he had "brought it out in him because what we had was so special".

After experimenting with his sexuality for a few months, Deryck wanted to end their physical encounters but claimed Greig called him "homophobic" and got angry when he tried to call things off.

Deryck wrote: "He told me this was all my fault to begin with because I should never have said yes to it in the first place. I started this and now he was in it with me so I couldn't just stop."

He eventually told a mutual friend about their alleged relationship, who branded it "abuse" and confided in then-girlfriend Avril Lavigne — whom he was married to from 2006 to 2009 — and she reportedly told him: "That's abuse! He sexually abused you."

Much later, Deryck confided in current spouse Ariana Cooper, who reportedly said: "He groomed you from a young teen and mentally forced you. You said no, you didn't want to do this anymore, and he told you it had to continue or you would lose everything. That's psychological, mental, and physical abuse."

Despite the end of the alleged physical relationship, Deryck claimed verbal abuse progressed as Greig grew jealous of Sum 41's success and tried to turn the band members against one another.

He was fired by the band in 2004.

Greig has yet to respond to the allegations.

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