Instead of listening to speculation and assuming details on his own count, R&B singer/songwriter, Ne-Yo went straight to the source. The Las Vegas native revealed to MTV News Monday (February 23) that he has in fact checked in with Rihanna, but is still disturbed by the battered image of her that’s left many speechless throughout the industry.

Though Rihanna didn’t divulge many details, she did inform her label mate that she was in good spirits. Ne-Yo said of the encounter, “I spoke to Rihanna. She says she's fine. She didn't go into detail about what happened. I understand it's a painful situation. I didn't push."

For Ne-Yo, the leaked image of Rihanna’s face after her alleged altercation with Chris has been tough to digest. But unlike many others, the singer is reserving judgment on the situation until he speaks with Brown. Ne-Yo offered, "I saw the picture. That just really — that hurt me to my heart, man. Again, I still don't know what happened, 'cause I haven't had the opportunity to talk to Chris yet. But to take it to that level really hurt my heart. All I can say is, I'm praying for both of them.”

Ne-Yo also added that he plans to speak with Chris Brown in the near future. "I haven't had a chance to talk to Chris yet. I just wanna sit down and talk to that dude and just explain if he doesn't understand: 'That's not something that's excusable, bruh. You have to get a little smarter about whatever it is going on in your relationship. You have to get a little smarter about how you handle certain situations.'”

Yet and still, Ne-Yo plans to stick by Brown after everything is said and done. "I'm not going to crucify him," Ne-Yo continued. "I'm not going to do that. That's still my homeboy at the end of the day. For it to go to that level was wrong. I won't say who was responsible. I won't pick no sides. I'm just saying it was wrong [that] it had to happen like that, and I'm praying for the both of them."