Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin apologized late Thursday after claiming he only hires assistants who boast attractive wives.
Franklin told a radio station in Nashville on Wednesday, "I will not hire an assistant coach until I've seen his wife. If she looks the part, and she's a D-I recruit, then you got a chance to get hired. That's part of the deal."
He attempted to justify his longtime policy, saying the same skill set required to approach, form a bond with and eventually marry an attractive woman would be vital to recruiting high school prospects.
"There's a very strong correlation between having the confidence, going up and talking to a woman ... [and] walking into a high school and recruiting a kid and selling him."
Franklin said both involved being "quick on your feet and having some personality and confidence and being fun and articulate."
But he pulled back from the comments a day later, saying, "My foot doesn't taste good."
He tweeted, "I hope I did not offend any1, I love & respect ALL."
While brushing off the comments as an "attempt at humor [that] obviously fell a few yds short," he added, "As a husband & father of 2 daughters I regret the way I conveyed my message! ... I clearly used language that doesn't reflect my views on women and I am SORRY!"
Vanderbilt vice chancellor David Williams said in a statement they discussed ''how inappropriate and offensive'' Franklin's comments were ''no matter his state of mind or intent.''
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report
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