I ain’t buying it. I believe he was legally pressured to make a statement because so many people were hurting themselves and trespassing.
I think that at 89 years old and the possibility of dying any time, nobody is going to pressure him to do anything. People with that mindset will continue to search for the treasure until he reveals the location.
Treasure found and finder chooses remain anonymous. Smells like a good way to end a hoax.