Madonna apologizes for Instagram slur

Madonna has issued an apology following the public backlash over her use of a racial slur in an Instagram.com post.

The pop star was bombarded with messages of outrage after posting a picture of her son Rocco sparring in a boxing ring on Friday (17Jan14) with the caption, "No one messes with Dirty Soap! Mama said knock you out! #disn**ga."

The Material Girl singer deleted the caption on Saturday (18Jan14), and later took to her Facebook.com page to post a statement of apology.

She writes, "I am sorry if I offended anyone with my use of the N word on Instagram. It was not meant as a racial slur. I am not a racist. There's no way to defend the use of the word. It was all about intention... It was used as a term of endearment toward my son who is white. I appreciate that it's a provocative word and I apologize if it gave people the wrong impression. Forgive me."