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50 Cent's manning up and admitting his attempt to crack jokes on social media turned into an insult -- albeit unintentionally -- to a 19-year-old airport employee with autism.

50 says, "It was certainly not my intent to insult him or the disability community, which is a source of great strength in America. I have apologized personally to him and his family."

Fiddy posted a video of himself mocking Andrew Farrell for being "high as a motherf*****." Andrew is not only autistic, but also suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and severe hearing loss.

In his apology, first posted by the NY Post, the rapper added ... "While the incident at the airport resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding, I am truly sorry for offending the young man."

As we first reported, Farrell's family was talking to attorneys about a possible lawsuit against 50 Cent, but a rep now says they'll be satisfied with a sincere apology.

50 has deleted the video. Further financial crisis averted. Maybe.