College football star APOLOGIZES after eating sushi off a NAKED model during reality TV show appearance (VIDEO)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) quarterback Max Gilliam has issued an apology after a recent appearance on a reality TV show showed him eating sushi off a nude model during a chartered boat trip.

Max Gilliam, who runs the offense for the Rebels, has apologized after his appearance on Bravo show "Below Deck" featured him performing the act in an episode titled, "Max and Dax's Excellent Adventure," which was recorded in February and March.

Appearing on the show with two friends and their three girlfriends, they boarded a chartered boat from Antigua and partook in a showpiece sushi meal, which was served not on a table, as usual, but on a naked model.

"I would like to apologize for my poor judgment while on the TV show Below Deck and acknowledge that I have made a mistake that I will learn from," Gilliam wrote in a message posted via his social media.

"While it was not my idea nor any of my friends' ideas to eat sushi off of a model, I should have exercised better judgment and declined the idea immediately when it was brought up by the producers.

"This is not a reflection of my character or the way I was raised, nor a reflection of the culture of UNLV Football. I would like to humbly move past this and focus my time and energy on our game against the University of Hawaii this weekend."

Gilliam's head coach at UNLV, Marcus Arroyo, also made a statement, saying that he was unaware of the situation until Monday and that an internal review is in process.

"How we conduct ourselves in public is just as important as how we do on the field," he said.

"I was made aware of Max's recent statement, and it is apparent that he also agrees."

Some have criticized the player and the show for "degrading women" with the act, while others have suggested that the unusual way of presenting the meal – an eye-catching way of presenting sushi sometimes used at high-end events in Las Vegas – is no big deal and the player has done nothing wrong.

But, based on his swift apology and his coach's response, it seems UNLV looks keen to move past the incident as swiftly as possible.