Former Baltimore Colts star safety Bruce Allan Laird appeared in court Monday and offered a terse apology to a woman who accused him of drunkenly groping her in a suite at Camden Yards.

“I am sorry,” said Laird, 74, of Towson. In the courtroom, the woman’s father shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with Laird’s words.

An apology was required under an agreement for prosecutors to place the misdemeanor assault case against Laird on an inactive docket. The well-known Colt also agreed to stay out of Orioles Park at Camden Yards for the rest of the year, and to stay out of the stadium’s skyboxes for three years.

Outside the courtroom, Laird’s attorney, Andrew Alperstein, said that his client’s apology was not an admission of guilt.

“What he meant by that is he’s sorry for the situation,” he said. “He maintains that he did nothing wrong. He’s innocent until proven guilty, and he was not convicted of any crime.”

Laird had been scheduled to begin trial Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court. But under the terms of the agreement, his case will be postponed indefinitely. He is eligible to have the charges expunged after three years.

A 1972 Pro Bowl punt returner, Laird is remembered as one of the Baltimore Colts’ best players. He became the team’s starting safety, playing for the Colts from 1972 to 1981. Then he was traded to the old San Diego Chargers and played another two seasons.

Laird has also worked as a uniform inspector for the Baltimore Ravens to make sure players meet the NFL’s dress code.

In September, a suite attendant at Camden Yards reported that Laird had assaulted her. She told police that Laird appeared to be “extremely drunk,” officers wrote in charging documents.

Laird had requested a piece of cake from a dessert cart. Then, she said, he “walked up from behind her, put his hand down her shirt, and into her bra (touching her left breast) and placed a $20 bill,” according to charging documents.

“I shouldn’t do this, you’re going to call HR,” she reported him saying, and he proceeded to grab her butt, according to charging documents.

The Banner does not identify people who report being sexually assaulted. The woman did not address the court on Monday.

Police charged Laird with second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual offense, both misdemeanors. Maryland’s online court records show that Laird has no previous criminal history.

His attorney told the judge that there was nothing to corroborate the woman’s accusations, that police recovered no surveillance video nor spoke to witnesses who could confirm the woman’s account. He told the judge the case was “he said, she said.”

“He’s got an unblemished record,” Alperstein told the judge.