You might remember during the Rose Bowl, when stud USC linebacker Rey Maualuga discreetly busted a move behind ESPN’s Erin Andrews. To most people, it was a harmless bit of fun that only added to his legend among Trojan fans and gave him folk hero status among the Internet crowd.

But now the LOS ANGELES TIMES is reporting that USC is has issued a statement that Maualuga has apologized to Andrews for his dance moves and “deeply regrets his actions.” And I’m sure he regrets his actions just as much as the USC athletic department told him that he should.

To refresh your memory, video of the heinous dance attack is after the jump:

Why was the “apology” necessary? Because, as USA TODAY says, certain women’s groups are still upset with his barbaric behavior:

But Donna Lopiano, former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, called Maualuga “my first-round pick for ‘offensive’ player of the year” and his dance behind Andrews “another example of a narcissistic, high-profile athlete believing that any behavior, no matter how inappropriate, is acceptable because of his status.

“For those who would laugh off, celebrate or enable this behavior, think twice. Ms. Andrews could be your sister, daughter or wife.”

Yes, because if someone dared do a white boy dance for all of two seconds behind my sister…well, let’s just say that it would be like the “curbing” scene from “American History X,” except not as family-friendly.

Again, to make sure we’re clear about this: Maualuga never touched Andrews, didn’t lay a finger on her. He merely danced behind her for about two seconds while she wasn’t looking in order to crack up a few Trojan fans who were watching. Let’s face it, Bruce Pearl was way more handsy with Andrews than Maualuga ever got.

Would Maualuga have done the same thing if it was, say, Todd Harris working the sidelines instead of Erin Andrews? Probably not. But in terms of actions that degrade women, this seems pretty mild. Plus, Andrews should consider herself lucky. When Maualuga parties, he has a history of being a bit more physical.