Nick Rolovich was joking this week when he said Michigan turned down his request for tape, a joke that turned into a mini-controversy.

All kidding aside, welcome to the big-time football fishbowl, Nick Rolovich.

Hawaii's first-year football coach on Thursday apologized for joking that he asked Michigan for a scrimmage tape ahead of the two teams' game Saturday and the Wolverines declined, a claim that blossomed into a mini-controversy.

"This has taken on a life of its own — I need to watch what I say, I think," he said on ESPN Radio's "Russillo and Kanell" show (via the Detroit Free Press).

Earlier this week, Rolovich — whose team opened the season last week against California in Australia — told reporters in Hawaii that his request for the tape, in order to get a look at the Wolverines since they'd been able to see the Rainbow Warriors' opener, had been turned down.

The story took off, apparently while Rolovich and his team were en route to the mainland.

Meantime, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh disputed Rolovich's initial assertion Thursday morning on Detroit's 97.1FM The Ticket: "I don't know anything about it, any request for a scrimmage tape or a practice tape, if somebody mentioned that."

Rolovich finally fessed up.

"I was actually just joking it'd be fair if they just sent us a practice film or scrimmage film, that'd be fair. But it kind of blew up from there. There was never any real interaction or discussion of this. We're on a 10-hour plane. It all happened when we're on a 10-hour plane and took off from there."

He later laughed and said, "I apologize."