The Steelers yesterday released a written statement they said came from wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who was deactivated by coach Mike Tomlin in Sunday's loss to the New York Giants after being charged with marijuana possession Thursday.

"I would like to apologize to my teammates, the Steelers organization, my family and the fans for my actions that caused me to miss Sunday's game," the statement read. "I recognize that I made a mistake and understand the significance of my actions and will not make any excuses for my behavior. I look forward to putting this behind me and to being accepted by my teammates and the fans as part of the team.

"At this time, I plan to focus all of my efforts on helping our team win on the field and achieve its ultimate goal, and will not address this situation publicly in the future."

There was no word from Tomlin on whether Holmes will be reinstated for Sunday's game or whether the team fined him. An NFL spokesman said league officials would have no comment on Holmes' situation.

Ben Roethlisberger passed Neil O'Donnell and moved into third place in the Steelers' career list with 13,025 passing yards. He trails only Terry Bradshaw at 27,989 and Kordell Stewart at 13,328. ... Punter Mitch Berger has a hamstring injury and linebacker LaMarr Woodley has an unnamed injury that forced him out of the game a few times. ... The Steelers worked out three long-snappers yesterday in an audition to replace Greg Warren, who has a torn ACL.