Yesterday, Men’s Journal released some quotes from their cover interview with Mark Wahlberg, who is on the February issue. In the course of the interview, Mark was discussing 9/11 (I don’t know the exact context), and he said, “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’” My reaction was: Mark Wahlberg is a douchebag. How crass. How tasteless. Thankfully, most of you agreed.

As it turns out, the 9/11 widows agreed as well, and Mark received a crapload of criticism from many sources. So, within hours of the quotes going public, Mark issued an apology:

Mark Wahlberg is used to playing a tough guy in films like The Fighter, but he wound up on the defensive after saying he could have overpowered the 9/11 terrorists.

“If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” the actor, 40, told Men’s Journal. “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.'”

After criticism from 9/11 widows and others, Wahlberg issued a statement Wednesday saying it was a “ridiculous” choice to even speculate about how he might have handled the situation.

“To suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible,” the Contraband star told PEOPLE. “I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention.”

Deena Burnett-Bailey, whose husband, Thomas Burnett, was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, had blasted Wahlberg’s original comments as “grandstanding.”

Flight 93, which was thought to have been aiming for the White House, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers on board rushed the cockpit and were able to overtake the hijackers.

“The plan for Flight 93 was foiled by heroes,” Burnett-Bailey told TMZ.com. “For [Wahlberg] to speculate that his presence on board could have stopped everything is silly and disrespectful.”

[From People]

Do you buy Mark’s apology? I’m glad he issued it, and I’m glad that he made a statement so quickly. Here’s what’s still bugging me, though – his apology should have been worded like this: “I deeply and sincerely apologize for my offensive, insensitive, irresponsible comments. I have no excuse, I should not have even engaged in that kind of speculation or conversation.” How is that different than “To suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible. I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention”? The difference is that he’s really only apologizing for “coming off as insensitive.” Like it’s on them for being too sensitive? I know, I know, it’s just semantics. But he’s still bugging me.

Photos courtesy of WENN.