11:35 AM -- Shaq Lawson is apologizing for his role in the incident ... claiming he only took action after the man directed death threats at Bills players and their families.
"Those of you who know me know that I'm all about the fans, and I have a lot of respect for the game I play and my opponents," Lawson said on Monday. "Before the game started yesterday, there was a fan behind our bench, who was making life threatening remarks towards us and our families."
Lawson claims the players alerted stadium security about the situation, but the fan was not removed from his seat and continued to heckle their sidelines.