DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony on Tuesday offered profusive apologies for his behavior from Monday morning, which resulted in his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

"I just want to man up to my mistake," Anthony said in a news conference at the Pepsi Center, where he apologized six times within two minutes.

"Everyone knows why I'm front of you guys today, you know, for the incident that happened early Monday morning. First of all, I'm just here to truly apologize to my fans, the Denver Nuggets organization, my family and my teammates for the distraction that this brung them. Hopefully, we can put this behind us. I could put this behind me. But most importantly, I'm here to just man up to my mistake and to let you know I'm truly sorry about what happened and everything," he said.

He did not try to defend his actions, and spoke in a room crowded with news reporters and photographers. A few Denver Nuggets players, including Allen Iverson, were also in the room.

"What happened Monday morning was truly and totally unacceptable," Anthony added. "I want to thank everybody who has been with me throughout this whole time, this whole situation."

He did not take questions and also issued a statement, which said that his attorneys asked him not to comment about the specifics of the case.

"I will continue to cooperate with all parties involved," Anthony said in his released statement.

His statement also reiterated the apology.

"I want to apologize to my family, fans and the Denver Nuggets organization for my actions early Monday morning. As a leader, I know they expect a lot from me and I regret putting myself in this situation. I also want to apologize to my teammates for the distraction this has caused," he said in the statement.

The star Nuggets forward was arrested on southbound Interstate 25 at about 4 a.m. He was pulled over near 20th Street, alone in his silver Mercedes, for weaving and driving with his highbeams on, police said.

Detective Sharon Hahn said he failed a series of sobriety tests. Police said he had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent. Hahn said he was arrested, taken to police headquarters and released "to a sober responsible party."

However, on Tuesday, when it was learned that a Denver officer dropped Anthony off at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver, police defended their actions.

"Officers attempted to have a responsible party come and pick up Carmelo Anthony, which is an option that is traditionally exercised by Denver police officers. It wasn't possible for his wife to pick him up at Denver police headquarters so the supervising officer elected give him a ride to her location, which happened to be at a downtown hotel," said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson.

"This is not a standard practice but it is done on occasion and it is not a violation of department policy. It is policy that the suspect be released to a sober responsible adult (which was done in this case) or be sent to detox until they are sober," Jackson said.

Anthony's car was not impounded but driven a short distance to a city parking lot outside Denver Police Traffic Operations Bureau where it was left parked and locked.

"Leaving a vehicle parked and locked at a safe location is an option that police officers have and exercise regularly," Jackson said. "There is no internal investigation in regards to this situation."

"I know that this is uncalled for. And right now, it's kind of bad timing. Due to the playoffs, due to our team's success, for this to happen. Like I said, it's totally unacceptable," Anthony explained.

The Nuggets have a game Wednesday in Denver to end their regular season and then they face New Orleans or Los Angeles in the first game of the NBA Western Conference playoffs.

His arrest came hours after his worst game of the season, when he scored 11 points in a 111-94 victory over Houston on Sunday night.

The DUI arrest is not only an image problem for the All-Star starter, it may also be an expensive problem.

A sports marketing expert thinks Melo may have left millions of dollars on the table.

"Forbes magazine documented his endorsement earnings at $10 million in December," said Don Hinchey, vice president of communications for the Bonham Group in Denver.

Hinchey said Melo recently re-upped with Nike and should be making $15 million a year off the court.

"However, with this type of situation, my sense is that they will tend to put the brakes on a little bit and say, 'Maybe we need to look at this a little more closely,'" Hinchey said.

He believes the Denver player should look to Cleveland's LeBron James as a model. James rakes in an estimated $27 million to $30 million a year in endorsements, according to Hinchey.

He believes Melo could earn a similar figure if he can stay away from negative publicity for at least the next year.

"My sense is that corporate America sees a great deal of upside in Carmelo Anthony. They have in the past and they will continue to do so in the future," Hinchey said.

The 23-year-old Anthony is due in court on May 14.

Anthony has an been issued a summons and complaint charging him with the following violations:

42-4-1301 Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol,

42-4-1301 (2)(A) Driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol of 0.80,

42-2-115 No license in possession

42-4-1007 Failed to drive in a single lane

42-4-217 Failed to dim lights