Edmonton Eskimos defensive back Patrick Watkins has apologized for uttering a homophobic slur toward Calgary Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell during their teams’ last matchup.

The two teams were playing their Labour Day rematch in Edmonton Saturday when Watkins yelled a slur at Mitchell. Watkins said he “made a bad choice of words,” but insisted that he is not homophobic.

“I don’t hate gay people, I don’t hate gay athletes. It was just a bad choice of words,” Watkins told Edmonton media on Monday. “I just want to put this behind me and move forward.”

The NFL calls for a 15-yard-penalty when a racial or homophobic comment is used on the field, but the CFL has no such rule.

Eskimos management said that the team will use the incident to start a conversation in the locker room about appropriate language.

Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey said that, while Watkins’ made a bad decision when it came to his choice of language, “a whole lot of bad words” are said during the course of a game.

“We’ll make sure that these discussions are had with our players as far as language that is used on the field, whether it be toward homosexuals or any other word that is selected,” Hervey said.

University of Alberta sports psychologist Dr. John Dunn said that an athlete’s on-field taunts or other behaviours are often about trying to gain “a psychological advantage” over his or her opponent.

But more should be done to prepare athletes for moments when they are in the throes of competition, and cameras and microphones are nearby.

“That should become a part of athlete preparation now because there is no hiding place,” Dunn told CTV Edmonton.

But Kristopher Wells, of the university’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, says the incident goes beyond words spoken in the heat of competition and is “a classic example of casual homophobia.”

“These are role models so what message are we sending to our young people if our athletes are exhibiting this type of behaviour,” Wells said.

The team has not said whether it punished Watkins for the comment. The CFL has yet to weigh in on the matter.

With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Breanna Karstens-Smith