Warren Sapp still stands behind his source that told him Jeremy Shockey was the snitch that blew the whistle on the bounty scandal in New Orleans.

But Sapp said he’s apologized to Shockey for putting it out publicly like he did on NFL Network, and he doesn’t believe the tight end has a problem with him.

Visiting with Toucher and Rich on 98.5 FM in Boston, Sapp says he saw Shockey about a week after the whole incident went down when they were both at a Miami Heat game.

“I told him, I said, ‘I apologize for putting it on the street level and making it derogatory towards you,’” Sapp said, according to spotsradiointerviews.com. “The information that was passed to me, I stand by my source, but I hate that I put it on a level, that wasn’t the way it should be. … That’s what I apologized for, because I put it on a way lower level than it should’ve been. It was something serious that never shoulda went on and stuff like that. So that’s the problem I have with myself and what I said to him.”

As far as Sapp can tell, he and Shockey are OK right now. Maybe not best pals, but they’re OK. Remember, Shockey was reportedly considering legal action against Sapp.

“The two times I’ve seen him I haven’t had a problem with him, but if he does we can go out in the grass and get it over with,” Sapp said. “I don’t have a problem with getting my knuckles a little scarred up.”

Sapp said he’s not hiding from the situation that marred him this spring when some wondered if he would be returning to NFL Network this year. It turns out, he will be back.

“It isn’t something that I’m running from or hiding from or anything like that,” Sapp said. “It is what it is. You’ve got a source that gives you information, you’re gonna go with it. It’s simple, because I’m not a reporter. My boss made that clear to me. Got it. Check. You won’t have to worry about it again. Some things you don’t share, some things you do.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune