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Janoris Jenkins says he now understands how hurtful the r-word can be -- telling TMZ Sports he won't use the term again and vows to learn from this experience.

Just hours after the NY Giants released Jenkins for using the word to insult a critic on Twitter, the NFL star agreed to speak with TMZ's Evan Rosenblum, a parent of a 4-year-old special needs daughter.

During the conversation, Evan explained why using the r-word as an insult is particularly hurtful for special needs families -- and Jenkins called it a "learning moment."

"It's always a learning moment, man. Everybody's going to learn from different situations ... move forward and learn."

"You just admit to it," Jenkins says ... "Admit that you did wrong, which I did."

Jenkins says he plans on meeting with special needs families so he can continue to educate himself about the community. He also vows to "give back."

Of course, 31-year-old Jenkins -- who made the Pro Bowl in 2016 --- is now hoping to land a job with another NFL team.