Serie A Coach Roberto D'Aversa Apologizes After Apparent Head-Butt on Opposing Player

Sunday's Serie A battle between Lecce and Hellas Verona featured an incident after the final whistle sounded at Stadio Via del mare, as Lecce coach Roberto D'Aversa seemingly head-butted Hellas Verona striker Thomas Henry (via ESPN).

"I was wrong and I apologize," D'Aversa later said in an Instagram post. "I got carried away and lost lucidness, but not to the point of hitting another person ... Once again I apologize to Henry, to the Lecce, Verona and Italian fans, to the referees, to the two clubs, to my management, my staff and my team."

Although he apologized, the coach did not agree with the head-butt description and said that he came in "face to face" contact with Henry instead.

In a heated game between two clubs that are looking to avoid relegation, Hellas Verona emerged with a 1-0 victory. The end of the match didn't stop the feuding between both teams, as Henry and Lecce defender Marin Pongracic were in the middle of a heated argument before D'Aversa knocked Henry over.

"Next Saturday we have another big match [against Salernitana] and I didn't want my players to be banned," explained D'Aversa, who revealed that he also apologized to Verona's management. "So I went out to try and separate them from the opponents and then the incident with Henry happened."

Hellas Verona moved to No. 13 in Serie A with 26 points. Meanwhile, Lecce currently holds the No. 15 spot with the club just one point away from a bottom-three finish and subsequent relegation.