Akermanis apologizes to Michael Braun for implying that the West Coast midfielder had used performance-enhancing drugs when he failed to keep up during a match in Brisbane.

"I apologise to him without any reservations. I am truly sorry for the hurt and trouble I have caused him. I just hope one day he can forgive me for the trouble I have caused," Akermanis wrote on the Bulldogs' website.

Braun was awarded damages of $60,000 and an apology by the Seven and Fairfax Radio Network after his name was leaked to the media as the subject of an earlier article written by Akermanis for the Herald Sun.