Ravens star Lamar Jackson has offered up a mea culpa after he posted a profanity-laced response to a fan who criticized him following Baltimore's Week 12 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Jackson said he regretted the incident and had overreacted after a stinging one-point defeat.
"I apologize if I hurt feelings out there," Jackson said, according to ESPN.com.
"I had just busted my behind -- my whole team, the coaches did -- that's what I seen. I just reacted to it. My bad, my bad."
Soon after the loss, the fan said the Ravens should let Jackson walk in free agency and spend the savings on a "well-rounded team."
The hot take seemed to strike a nerve with Jackson, who told the fan to "STFU" and used a crass phrase referencing oral sex.
Jackson later deleted the tweet -- he told reporters that he did so at the behest of his girlfriend -- but it seems the damage had been done.
The incident took another turn on Monday, when Jackson accused an ESPN reporter of "defamation" for characterizing the phrase as "anti-gay."
There was no further update on the situation until Friday, the first time Jackson had addressed reporters since the incident.
Jackson, who is one of the NFL's good guys, said he had not spoken with the fan since, but he told reporters that had noticed the fan later mentioned that his analysis wasn't personal and that he "loved" Jackson, per ESPN.
Jackson said he loves the fan, too, and harbors no ill will toward him.
"I was bitter," Jackson said. "I feel like you should be bitter after a loss. No smiles. I feel like the fans should be mad we lost, too. But not mad at us. We tried."
The fan made his account private after the heated exchange.
Meanwhile, Jackson's contract situation remains one of the most intriguing storylines heading into the offseason.
The fifth-year star is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, after he and the Ravens were unable to reach an extension by the start of the regular season.
It has been reported that Jackson was seeking a fully guaranteed deal worth somewhere around $250 million, while the organization is purportedly hesitant to guarantee the cash.
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