Carolina Panthers lineman Taylor Hearn is breaking his silence on his Georgia street fight captured on video -- saying he takes "full responsibility" and will use the incident as a learning experience.
"‘Dear Panther Nation: I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the Panthers organization, my teammates and coaches, the fans and the league," Hearn said in a statement.
"I take full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I will learn from my mistakes.''
TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hearn got into an altercation with several men on March 14 outside of a bar in Augusta, Georgia -- and was ultimately knocked out by a much smaller man.
Hearn -- a 6'4", 315-pound guard -- had been shoving people in the street and acting like a jerk after being kicked out of the bar earlier that evening.
Earlier this week, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton told us the situation was "unfortunate" -- but he hadn't spoken with Hearn at that point.
23-year-old Hearn signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 after playing his college ball at Clemson.
During his college career, Hearn won a national championship while protecting Deshaun Watson.
The NFL is investigating the incident and he could still -- and most likely will -- be disciplined by the league for violating the Personal Conduct Policy.