Steelers WR Santonio Holmes spoke publicly for the first time after an incident for which Holmes now faces a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge:

“I would like to apologize to my teammates, the Steelers organization, my family and the fans for my actions that caused me to miss Sunday’s game. I recognize that I made a mistake and understand the significance of my actions, and will not make any excuses for my behavior. I look forward to putting this behind me and to being accepted by my teammates and the fans as part of this team.

“At this time, I plan to focus all of my efforts on helping our team win on the field and achieve its ultimate goal, and will not address this situation publicly in the future.”

Holmes was deactivated for Sunday’s game vs. the New York Giants after police said they smelled burning marijuana and found marijuana-filled cigars known as blunts in his car during a traffic stop.

Holmes was replaced by Nate Washington, who had one catch that went for a 65-yard touchdown in the Steelers’ 21-14 loss to the Giants.