Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) issued a public apology on Friday for a 14-year-old remark that has drawn criticism from one of the major gay-rights groups and that could jeopardize his possible bid for the Secretary of Defense position.

“My comments in 1998 were insensitive,” said the Vietnam War veteran. “They neither reflect my views nor the totality of my own public record. I apologize to Ambassador James Hormel and to any LGBT Americans who might question my commitment to defend their civil rights.”

Hagel, in his Omaha-World Herald Interview in 1998, said that he believed it's an inhibiting factor for a U.S. ambassador to be gay. He further went on describing Hormel as being an "openly, aggressively gay."

Meanwhile, Hormel responded to the two-term senator’s apology by saying, “if there's an apology out there, it certainly hasn’t reached my office. So, until that comes, I’m just going to do my work here. Whenever I see an apology, I’ll consider it.”

Hagel is regarded as the primary prospect to replace Leon Panetta, despite the fact that several senators have expressed their reservations for a nomination. Their issues are largely focused on Hagel's comments about Iran and Israel. A few outside groups have even proposed that he is not totally supportive of Israel.

Other candidates worth considering are Michele Flournoy, a former Pentagon policy chief, and Ashton Carter, the Deputy Defense Secretary.