1:21 PM PT -- Pat McAfee is addressing the criticism ... saying he shouldn't have used the phrase when describing Caitlin Clark -- and he personally sent her an apology for his mistake.

"No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening," PM said on X. "I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe."

He added ... "My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize."

Pat McAfee referred to Caitlin Clark as a "white bitch" in a passionate rant about WNBA coverage on Monday ... and now, the ESPN personality is facing backlash over the comment.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter gave the fiery monologue to kick off the "Pat McAfee Show" ... when he explained how fed up he was with the narrative that the WNBA is surging in popularity due to the entire rookie class featuring Clark, Cameron Brink and Angel Reese.

McAfee did a game show-esque presentation to take his stance ... pointing out how Clark is dominating TV ratings, jersey sales and attendance in comparison to her fellow first-year pros.

He also addressed the claims that Clark's race plays into her fame ... saying the fact she's white is irrelevant, as several other big names in the league -- Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum -- are also Caucasian.

"I would like the media people that continue to say, 'This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class,'" McAfee said minutes ago. "Nah, just call it for what it is -- there's one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar."

"Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she went about going what she went for? Maybe," he added. "But instead, we have to hear people say that we all like her 'cause she's white and she's only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they're doing."

"Well that's a bunch of bulls*** and we think the WNBA -- more specifically, their refs -- need to stop trying to screw her over at every single turn."

"What you have is somebody special and we're lucky she's here in Indiana," he added.

It's clear PM was trying to praise the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and give her proper credit for all her accomplishments ... but using a derogatory term for women to get his point across has ruffled feathers, to say the least.

This isn't the first time McAfee has sparked controversy on his show -- as we previously reported, he was embroiled in the whole Aaron Rodgers/Jimmy Kimmel beef ... which forced ESPN to address the New York Jets quarterback's appearances.