Couture apologizes for tweet claiming he was punched for talking about voting Republican

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture issued an apology after his tweet regarding American politics went viral early on Wednesday.

Couture has since deleted the original tweet, but he stated he was out in Toronto on Tuesday night and was sucker punched for talking "about voting for the Republican party and mentioning Donald Trump by name."

Couture was highly criticized for the tweet, adding he didn't explicitly say he'd vote for Trump but would vote Republican if he was an American citizen.

Hours later, Couture released the following message:

"I have been debating whether or not to speak further on this matter. However, because much of what I tweeted earlier today has been taken out of context, I want to elaborate. Bringing politics to my platform is wrong. While I did not do a good job communicating my thoughts earlier today, I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own voice and opinions. But regardless of what anyone believes - and to be clear, I do not believe in supporting Donald Trump - responding with violence isn't the answer and doesn't solve anything. I regret the decision to make this incident public. I apologize to the Sharks, as well as my family for having to deal with this. I hold myself to a high standard, and I apologize for any of my comments that were poorly worded and do not reflect my true feelings or beliefs. I appreciate those who have reached out to me with their concern."

The Sharks also issued a statement condemning the use of violence towards Couture, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.

"The San Jose Sharks organization is aware of the incident that occurred on the evening of Aug. 25 in which Logan Couture was assaulted in Toronto. We are thankful that he was not seriously hurt and unequivocally denounce physical attacks or abuse on anyone under any circumstances," the club said.

Couture was drafted ninth overall by San Jose in 2007. He's notched 546 points in 715 games in 11 seasons with the Sharks.