updated 6:31 p.m. ET Aug. 7, 2006

PITTSBURGH - Offensive lineman Barrett Brooks apologized to the Pittsburgh Steelers for his weekend arrest on charges he fled from police on his motorcycle, but said the chase resulted from miscommunication and not any wrongdoing.

Brooks’ comments didn’t seem to appease coach Bill Cowher, who was critical of Brooks after addressing the situation Monday during a team meeting.

“We’re very disappointed with the judgment he displayed Saturday night, we talked to the football team about it and we’ll leave it at that,” Cowher said. “We certainly don’t condone the actions and certainly there’s responsibility that goes with being a professional athlete and handling yourself properly.”

Brooks, a 34-year-old backup lineman for the Super Bowl champions, was charged with fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and other traffic violations Sunday. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail, according to Pittsburgh police Sgt. Dennis Washington.

Police said Brooks drove recklessly around a police car and did not stop, causing officers to chase him for about five minutes on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Brooks also drove through a red traffic light and a stop sign, Washington said.

Brooks wasn’t intoxicated, but wasn’t wearing a helmet while on his motorcycle, police said.

Brooks said he immediately called Steelers officials to tell them what happened. He said he felt bad for team owner Dan Rooney and his family and told his teammates he was sorry.

“I apologize to the Rooneys. Their family is a great family and they believe in not doing stuff like this, but I really didn’t do anything,” Brooks said Monday. “Once things come to fruition here, we’ll be all right.”

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Brooks’ opinion apparently wasn’t shared by Cowher.

“Barrett used very poor judgment and I was very disappointed in him,” Cowher said.

Brooks was reluctant to discuss details, but said he didn’t stop for the policeman because he didn’t see him.

“Like I said, once everything comes and everything is over with I’ll say something. But right now ... there’s really nothing to say,” Brooks said. “I was just riding a motorcycle, and that was it, that was the extent of it.”

Several Steelers players were asked what Brooks said, but declined to talk about it.

“I reached out to everybody on the team, my teammates, my coaches and everybody else,” Brooks said. “I explained to them the situation, apologized for any negative attention brought to them. Eighty percent of the league knows me. I’m a down-to-earth guy, I would never put myself in a situation to do something like this. There was a total miscommunication. It just wasn’t the way it’s said. All the stuff that’s been said is totally misinterpreted.”

Brooks has been an NFL lineman since 1995, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995-98), Detroit Lions (1999-2000), Green Bay Packers (2002) and Steelers (2004-05). He did not play in 2001 and 2003 after being cut during training camp. He played mostly on special teams last season, but also filled in at guard and tackle.

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Brooks is the second Steelers player in two months to attract attention for not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle in Pittsburgh.

Star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw, nose and some orbital bones and sustained a concussion in a June 12 motorcycle crash in which he was cited for not wearing a helmet. He did not miss any training camp time because of the accident.

It is legal to ride a motorcycle in Pennsylvania without a helmet, but only if the driver has a motorcycle license. Police said Roethlisberger lacked the license, and was issued $388 in fines for not having the license and not wearing a helmet.

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