Brown’s nomination for favorite male singer and his favorite song nod for “Kiss Kiss” occurred before his February arrest for allegedly attacking girlfriend Rihanna. Although a petition circulated to take Brown’s name off the ballot, he was still listed as a contender on Wednesday, as reported by Pollstar.com earlier today.

But now Brown is removing himself from balloting. In a statement, his representatives said while Brown would like to speak directly to his fans, he can’t because of his criminal case. Brown also thanked his fans for support.

This is probably the smartest move Brown has made since his arrest. Of course, if he was really smart, he would never have “allegedly” beaten Rihanna in the first place.

For Pollstar.com’s earlier item about Chris Brown and the Kid’s Choice Awards, click here.