Former NFL star Warren Sapp said Friday he had apologized to Jeremy Shockey for publicly labeling him the “snitch” in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.

Appearing on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sapp said he bumped into Shockey at a Miami Heat game a week after he controversially outed the former Saints tight end as the whistleblower who prompted the league’s investigation into the illegal payment program.

Sapp said he took the opportunity to pull Shockey aside, telling him, “‘I apologize for putting it on the street level and making it derogatory towards you.’“

Shockey, who played for New Orleans from 2008 to 2010, vehemently denied that he informed the league about the alleged bounty program, whereby Saints players were paid bonuses for injuring opponents.

Executives at NFL Network, where Sapp works as an analyst, reportedly disciplined him for naming Shockey on the air, but allowed the former defensive tackle to keep his job.