Removing it was the right thing to do, which is OK. We are not perfect and stand to be corrected once in a while. What matters most is how you respond to the situation. Given the development, vod might also review his feedback given that the reference was pointing to your trust profile, which has now changed.

I hope the immediate neutral/note to self you just sent to him won't complicate things even more. Let's hope this gets resolved ASAP.