Richie Incognito Says He's an Innocent Man Following Funeral Home Arrest

Richie Incognito says he didn't threaten to shoot ANYONE during a heated incident at an Arizona funeral home back in August ... but admits he "lost his cool" after his father's death.

As we previously reported, cops swarmed Messinger Mortuary on August 20 after staffers secretly called 911 and said Incognito had ordered them to "cut his dad's head off for research purposes." They also claim Richie threatened to shoot the funeral director. Police say they found guns in his truck.

Now, Incognito is finally breaking his silence ... apologizing to his fans while maintaining his innocence.

“I just want to apologize to all my fans, and the people of the Bills Mafia, the Rams, the Dolphins, the University of Nebraska, all these people that have supported me. I let em down," Richie told Pat McAfee on his podcast.

"I AM NOT GUILTY. And you know the court process will play itself out. But I feel like I let everybody down. I lost my cool with my father passing. And I feel confident that I will be vindicated in the court process or whatever the heck we’re in right now.”