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Brad Ausmus apologizes again for 'I beat my wife' joke

Brad Ausmus made sure to address the controversy surrounding his spousal abuse joke today, issuing a second apology.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

During a pregame session with the media, Brad Ausmus addressed yesterday's spousal abuse joke, which has stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy, issuing a second apology.

"The truth is I wasn't trying to trivialize or marginalize the problem of domestic abuse or minimize how awful a thing it is, and I'm sorry," he said. "There's people in this room that know me. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone and I certainly wasn't trying to offend anyone. If I did, I really am honestly sorry for that, because that's not what I was trying to do."

Ausmus admitted he immediately realized his mistake and how just how quickly the controversy would spread.

"That's the world we live in, and I know that. I'm sitting in that press conference room and as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew it was insensitive and I wish I hadn't said it. At this point, other than saying I'm sorry, there's really nothing else I can do."

Ausmus also admitted the controversy has lingered within his family.

"I didn't have a fun 12 hours. I didn't sleep well. I obviously talked to my wife and daughters about it. My daughters are on Twitter and all that, so they see it. It hasn't been a fun 12 hours."

As part of his apology, the Tigers' manager is going to reach out to organizations that are combating domestic violence.

"I think I will do something on my own, but that would not be something that I would do for public relations. I wouldn't tell you what I did or what my approach is going to be, but I've discussed some things and I'll do that on my own."