Janoris Jenkins says he now understands how hurtful the r-word can be -- telling TMZ Sports he won't use the term again and vows to learn from this experience.
Just hours after the NY Giants released Jenkins for using the word to insult a critic on Twitter, the NFL star agreed to speak with TMZ's Evan Rosenblum, a parent of a 4-year-old special needs daughter.
During the conversation, Evan explained why using the r-word as an insult is particularly hurtful for special needs families -- and Jenkins called it a "learning moment."
"It's always a learning moment, man. Everybody's going to learn from different situations ... move forward and learn."
"You just admit to it," Jenkins says ... "Admit that you did wrong, which I did."
Jenkins says he plans on meeting with special needs families so he can continue to educate himself about the community. He also vows to "give back."
Of course, 31-year-old Jenkins -- who made the Pro Bowl in 2016 --- is now hoping to land a job with another NFL team.
In the full interview (airing Friday night on "TMZ Sports" on FS1) we asked him if he thinks this latest incident will hinder his efforts.