Nicky Hayden has denied that he described Casey Stoner's switch from Ducati to Honda as "shameful" and says he was misquoted.
Quotes in Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this week suggested Hayden had been critical of his teammate's decision to quit Ducati after four years, but the American believes his comments were mistranslated in the interview.
"[Casey] knows me, I wouldn't make a comment like that, that's not my business," Hayden told reporters at Laguna Seca ahead of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix. "We listened to the interview, and it was totally taken the wrong way. I was just saying, Casey had a good run here at Ducati, for both Casey and Ducati. It was a pity, but nothing lasts forever, so he moved on, and that's it. But there's not more to it than that, I wasn't speaking for him or about him."