NFL analyst and Good Morning America host Michael Strahan apologized and expressed his admiration for the military after being accused of being “disrespectful” during the playing of the national anthem at a pre-Veterans Day broadcast celebration.

In a video posted on his Instagram, Strahan addressed the backlash, clarifying that not placing his hand over his chest while the anthem played was not intended as a “protest” or a political statement.

“The only statement that should be made and that I wanna make is that I love the military,” Strahan said. “I’ve always loved the military, and I will always love the military. I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the Army.”

“My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military — I’m a military brat,” he added. “And so the fact of somebody saying that, you know, I’m unpatriotic, couldn’t be any further from the truth. And if you want the truth, I’ll tell you: The truth is that I was caught up in the moment.”

“I’m looking at all these young sailors standing there at attention before the national anthem played, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘How incredible. How incredible to be that young and to know that you wanna do this.’ Strahan continued. “Like, it’s such a commitment, but you’re willing to commit to something that, you know, gives us our freedoms, plain and simple. I’m just sitting there in amazement.”

Strahan said that by the time he looked back at his cohosts and saw them with their hands over their hearts, he experienced a moment of “somewhat panic.”

“I’m like, ‘Do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after, or do I just stand here with my hand in front of me respectfully?’ Which, that’s what I did, that’s what happened,” he added.

“If that offended any of our military and veterans, I apologize to you because that was never my intent,” Strahan said as he closed out his video, noting again how much love he has for those who serve.

On Sunday, the Fox NFL Sunday show was broadcast from the Naval Base in San Diego, where Strahan’s cohosts stood with their right hands over their hearts during the national anthem. However, viewers noticed that Strahan folded his hands in front of him instead, which upset many watching, leading to accusations of “disrespect,” as noted by the New York Post.