The 23-year-old man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having a sexual relationship with him when he was 16 years old released a statement Tuesday recanting the allegations.

"This office represented the 23-year old man who was the subject of many media reports regarding Kevin Clash. He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship," the accuser's lawyers said in a statement, adding that the man will make "no further comment on the matter."

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street, announced Monday that Clash was taking a leave of absence to fend off the allegation that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor. The organization said it found that the allegations were unsubstantiated but did fault Clash with inappropriate usage of the Internet.

"I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further," Clash said in a statement through his publicist.