After posting a cryptic message following his assault arrest on Monday, Willie McGinest is now taking full responsibility for his actions.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the three-time Super Bowl champion said he was “embarrassed” about what took place in West Hollywood, California, on Dec. 9.
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Willie McGinest of the New England Patriots looks on before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Oct. 10, 2004.
(Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest apology for my lapse in judgment and behavior on December 9 at a restaurant in West Hollywood,” McGinest wrote. “To my family, community, friends, and youth I mentor, please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility.
“To my colleagues at the NFL Network and those that I work closely with as an advisor to professional and community-based organizations, please know I am embarrassed and regret what occurred.”
Video obtained by TMZ Sports showed the alleged altercation involving McGinest at a West Hollywood restaurant on Dec. 9. He can be seen in the video punching a man in the face and later attacking him with a bottle.
EX-NFL GREAT WILLIE MCGINEST POSTS CRYPTIC MESSAGE FOLLOWING ASSAULT ARREST
The fight, involving McGinest and several other unidentified men, is later broken up, and McGinest can be seen discarding the bottle and walking away.
McGinest turned himself in to police in connection with the assault on Monday.
New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest stands on the sideline during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 11, 2005.
(Mark Konezny/NFLPhotoLibrary)
After spending most of his 15-year career with the New England Patriots, McGinest has been involved in growing the game at the youth level with the NFL’s “Play Football” brand. He also founded a program that provides social and cultural enrichment for neighborhood youth, and is an analyst on the NFL Network.
“Most of all, I am disappointed in myself, as I know this is an isolated incident and is not reflective of my faith, role as a father, life’s body of work, or the role model I’ve worked hard to become. It is personally devastating that decades of community service, youth engagement, mentoring, and professional development would become an afterthought in a single moment that should never have happened,” McGinest wrote.
“This incident has prompted me to deep self-reflection — mind, soul, and spirit. I know that violence is never the answer to such situations, no matter how intense the provocation. Rest assured, I will take whatever steps necessary to restore the public trust, mend damaged relationships, and ensure this never happens again.”
New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest gestures during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXIX between New England and the Philadelphia Eagles at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Feb. 6, 2005.
(Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
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His bail was set at $30,000, and he was released a day later.
The NFL Network told Pro Football Talk on Monday that McGinest will be suspended as an analyst pending an investigation into the charges brought against him.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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