Updated Feb 26, 2013 6:44 PM ET

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP)

Seattle Sounders defender Marc Burch said Tuesday the suspension he received for using a homophobic slur during a playoff game last season needed to be harsh and was deserved.

”I think it will always be on the back of my mind. You make a mistake and you want to fix it as much as you can. That’s what I’ve tried to do. It’s the only thing I can do,” Burch said, his first time speaking with reporters since being suspended last November. ”I can’t make up for what I did. All I can do is just prove from here on out that nothing like that is ever going to happen again. That’s not …