Tom DeLonge says he never quit Blink-182 - UPDATED

UPDATE:  We have recieved the following statement from Tom DeLonge's publicist:

Contrary to reports, Tom DeLonge has not left Blink 182. “I never quit the band,” he says. “Actually, I was on the phone discussing a possible Blink-182 event in New York City when I heard the ‘news.’ The ONLY truth here is that I have commitments that limit my availability this year. I love Blink-182 and I’m not leaving.”

Earlier today, it was reported that Tom DeLonge was no longer a member of Blink-182. (You can read an official statement from the band's publicist below.) Now, DeLonge has posted to his official Facebook page saying he “never quit the band.”

“To all the fans, I never quit the band,” said DeLonge. “I actually was on a phone call about a blink 182 event for New York City at the time all these weird press releases started coming in… Apparently those releases were 'sanctioned' from the band. Are we dysfunctional- yes. But, Christ….. #Awkward #BabyBackRibs.”

To be fair, the word “quit” was never used in the original statement (nor was it used in our reporting of the events' unfolding). Rather, it was explicitly stated that Delonge will not be participating in any Blink-182 projects “indefinitely” while Delonge continues to dedicate his time to “his other non-musical endeavors,” meaning—for example—that fill-in musicians (like Matt Skiba) will be used to help Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker fulfill any commitments they had agreed to previously as a band.

We're still not sure exactly what the conflicting statements mean and are awaiting further clarification from a band's representative.

Here's Blink's official press release from earlier:

Matt Skiba of the Alkaline Trio will join Blink-182 in replacement of Tom DeLonge at the 8th annual Musink Music and Tattoo festival.  “We were all set to play this festival and record a new album and Tom kept putting it off without reason. A week before we were scheduled to go in to the studio we got an email from his manager explaining that he didn’t want to participate in any Blink-182 projects indefinitely, but would rather work on his other non-musical endeavors.” Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus plan to honor all Blink-182 commitments including the Musink Festival and are excited to have singer/guitarist Matt Skiba join them for this project.  “No hard feelings, but the show must go on for our fans.” Additionally, Skiba will continue to make new music and tour with the Alkaline Trio.

In November, DeLonge revealed in an interview that the band had found a “partner” to release the record with, and that they would be “going pretty hardcore” after the holidays.

AP has reached out to representatives for Blink-182 and DeLonge. We are awaiting further comment.