Montreal Impact defender Wandrille Lefevre has apologized for his controversial Instagram post that led to him being suspended indefinitely by the Major League Soccer team.
The Impact suspended Lefevre after he posted a picture of himself holding a gun, with a caption in French saying "prevention is better than the cure" with U.S. President Donald Trump in power.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Lefevre said the gun he was holding was an air pistol.
"I was at a recreation facility that allows children to use the same air pistol, and I was aiming it at a target in a controlled setting," he said. "I realize, however, how the post could be interpreted and apologize for any insensitivity on my part."
He also said the picture’s caption, which was punctuated by a winking emoji, was meant to be amusing rather than threatening, but admits his attempt at humour "obviously fell short."
"I want to be absolutely clear that I do not in any way condone gun violence, and I will be more careful in the future as it relates to social media," he said.
Lefevre, 27, is in his fifth season with the Impact. The Chartres, France native, a product of the team’s academy, became a Canadian citizen in 2015.
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