It says AP
Joe Namath Apologizes to ESPN's Kolber
Tue Dec 23,10:40 PM ET
BRISTOL, Conn. - Joe Namath apologized to ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber for his comments during Saturday night's Patriots-Jets game.
"Joe apologized, I accepted, it's over," Kolber said Tuesday after the Hall of Fame quarterback phoned her.
Namath, at the Meadowlands for the Jets' announcement of their Four-Decade Team, twice told Kolber he wanted to kiss her while she was interviewing him on the sideline.
Namath told USA Today in an article on the newspaper's Web site Tuesday that he was "full of some Christmas cheer, certainly too much." The newspaper reported that Namath acknowledged he had been drinking before the interview with Kolber.
"I wasn't trying to be rude or crude," he said. "I feel awful about what happened, for my family and the Jets. I've been in better Christmas spirits, no pun intended."
During the second quarter of the Patriots-Jets game, Kolber asked Namath what the Jets' struggles meant to him. He replied: "I want to kiss you" and leaned toward her.
He added he believed the team would come back next season with Chad Pennington available to play quarterback all year.
Namath capped off the interview by repeating: "I want to kiss you."
Kolber responded to Namath's comments by saying "Thanks, Joe. A huge compliment" and turned things back to the announcers in the booth.
Namath serves as a goodwill ambassador for the Jets