Isaiah Washington issued a public apology letter today through People Magazine in regards to the scuffle between him and co-star Patrick Dempsey. Allegedly, when T.R. Knight [who recently came out to People Magazine] was late to film a scene, a debate ensued between Dempsey and Washington, with Dempsey insisting on waiting for Knight. The argument quickly intensified and Isaiah allegedly referred to Knight as a "faggot."

Washington wrote:

"I sincerely regret my actions and the unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set,” Washington, 43, says in the statement. “Both are beneath my own personal standards. … I have nothing but respect for my coworkers … and have apologized personally to everyone involved."

All reports say that after the ordeal, cooler heads prevailed, and everyone moved on...Shonda Rhimes [Creator of Grey's Anatomy], also dispelled rumors that Isaiah may be replaced by Eriq LaSalle.

“I found (those rumors) not only ridiculous but offensive that we would consider replacing a member of our family,” Rhimes tells PEOPLE. “And also the (idea) that one black man was interchangeable with another seemed disturbing to me.”

Rhimes also dismisses speculation that the mood on the set has been unusually tense. “The mood’s what the mood’s always been,” she says. “We have a group of people who are more of a family than anything else. We have our fun days, and we have our days when people are tired and the work is hard.”