Dennis Rodman apologies to American detainee Kenneth Bae and his family for interview remarks

Dennis Rodman apologized on Thursday for his outburst during an interview he gave Tuesday from Pyongyang in which the former NBA star implied American detainee Kenneth Bae -- held captive in North Korea for over a year -- was rightfully incarcerated although the charges against him have not been made public.

Rodman also did not agree to leverage his friendship with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un during his "basketball diplomacy" visit to North Korea to effect Bae's release.

Rodman issued the apology in a statement released by publicist Jules Feiler to the Associated Press.

“I want to apologize... I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth... I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae’s family. I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I’m very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry.”

In Rodman's exclusive interview on CNN's New Day with Chris Cuomo on Tuesday, Rodman appeared increasingly agitated, implying unspecified wrongdoing by Bae and launching into a defense of his controversial "basketball diplomacy" visits to North Korea.

Kenneth Bae was arrested in November 2012 for "hostile acts" and sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor. Bae's family reacted to the Rodman interview, saying they were "appalled" that Rodman, apparently in a position to use his North Korean connections to help a detained American, used the interview to allege Bae was guilty.

Rodman's January visit comes nearly a month after Kim Jong Un had his uncle and former mentor executed for treason. Relations between North Korea and the United States are increasingly strained. In addition to detaining Bae, North Korea detained an 85-year old American Korean War veteran for over a month prior to his December 2013 release.

[Korea Herald] [UPI]