Private: Designed or intended for one's exclusive use
www.dictionary.com
Private is not necessaily something sad, sensitive, emotional, or just to a good friend. Private is something that has nothing to do with other people, except who you direct it at.
The apology was obviously directly solely at Codek, and it had literally nothing to do withbody else at all on the forum. If they wanted to, nobody could get anything from it (unless you're particularly intersted in relations between Clairbear and Codek)