NPR Chief Executive Vivian Schiller issued an apology Sunday night to staff about the way she handled the Juan Williams situation last week, the AP reported.

However, Schiller said she would again make the decision to ax the veteran newsman if she had to do it all over again.

In a statement, she said, "I stand by my decision to end NPR’s relationship with Juan, but I deeply regret the way I handled and explained it."

Schiller has previously stated that Williams’ attitude about Muslims, which were deemed inappropriate by NPR’s standards, should have been shared with a therapist or publicist rather than blurted out on a Fox News broadcast.