"I just got caught up in the moment," Tate said on Friday ... "I was wrong to draw attention to myself."

"I take full responsibility for that. I handled it the wrong way ... It was something that won’t happen again."

If you missed it ... 32-year-old Tate has been frustrated with the lack of targets this season, and finally exploded after a critical TD grab during the Nov. 2nd matchup on "Monday Night Football."

The wideout yelled into the camera, "Throw me the ball!" He reportedly also screamed toward his sideline earlier in the game, "Throw me the damn ball!"

To make matters worse, Tate's wife, Elise, publicly called out the team on IG -- saying "Ain't no way this BS gonna hurt his stats this yr bc he doesn't get targets. FEED HIM THE BALL."

Giants head coach Joe Judge punished Tate for the public criticism -- demoting him to the scout team and benching him for the Nov. 8 game against the Washington Football Team.

People were wondering how Tate would react to the discipline -- but it appears he's taking the high road now and accepting responsibility.

"My actions were unacceptable," said Tate, who added he was NOT trying to force a trade with his tirade.

"I apologized to the team, the GM, the coaches, the offense. I’m excited to move forward. I want to be here."