Saskatchewan Roughrider Charleston Hughes has made a public apology after being charged with impaired driving.

"I apologize to my teammates, you know, my fans and, you know, the staff within [the] organization," Hughes told reporters in Regina on Wednesday.

"And um, you know, it's kind of embarrassing to go through a situation like this."

Hughes was arrested at 2 a.m. CST on Oct. 11 near the North Albert Street overpass on the Ring Road. Hughes was allegedly behind the wheel of a running vehicle and did not respond when police attempted to rouse him.

Hughes was charged with impaired driving and failing to provide a breath sample.

Roughriders coach Chris Jones said there is no CFL code of conduct that would provide specific guidance on how to handle the situation.

'Tough to gauge': Coach

"Charleston's human and he made a huge mistake and it's one of those things, like I say, I mean we certainly don't condone it, we think of the offence very seriously," said Jones.

"It's tough to gauge exactly, as an individual, we're certainly not going to just throw out one of our own but at the same time he's got to understand that it's a very serious offence."

Hughes is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 31.

He is believed to be a leading contender for the Riders' Most Outstanding Player nomination and is currently the CFL's sack leader.