A former Georgia State University soccer player who withdrew from school after making a racial slur on social media said she is remorseful during an exclusive interview Wednesday with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The truth is, I could give you excuses ... but what you need to know is what’s in my heart,” Natalia Martinez said by phone from her native south Florida.

The epithet appeared on the freshman’s Finsta page, a secret version of Instagram that is growing in popularity among teens.

Earlier, Martinez released a statement apologizing. “No words can properly express the remorse I feel about my use of that horrendous and disgusting word on social media last week. My incredibly poor choice of language in that post is beyond embarrassing.”

“This mistake is something that I have to live with forever,” she said.

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