ASHBURN, Va. -- Here's a new rite of passage for an NFL rookie: getting chastised by the head coach and apologizing publicly for using Twitter to call booing fans "dim wits."

Linebacker Robert Henson has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Redskins, yet he drew plenty of attention from veteran teammates and coach Jim Zorn on Monday after tweeting about the home crowd at Washington's 9-7 victory over St. Louis.

Fans booed during and after the game.

Following the victory, Henson tweeted: "All you fake half hearted Skins fan can .. I won't go there but I dislike you very strongly, don't come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!"

He also wrote: "The question is who are you to say you know what's best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at Mcdonalds."

Later, Henson updated his Twitter account with an apology.

"I understand the weight that my words carried and, you know, how I offended some fans," he told reporters at Redskins Park.

He added that he apologized "not because I'm scared, but just because it was the right thing to do. And I sincerely apologize to all the fans. I hope to have a long, prosperous career here, and I don't want anybody booing me or just being negative towards me."

Henson, a sixth-round draft pick from TCU, has been inactive for both games this season.

He got a bit of a talking-to for his postgame activity.

"Some of the older guys just pulled me aside and was like, 'This is some stuff you need to know when dealing with social networks or the media.' Just trying to guide me on the right path," he said.

Zorn spoke to Henson about what happened.

"Robert is a young player learning to handle his emotions during and after the game," Zorn said in a statement released by the Redskins. "When he gets a chance to play, I want him to have this level of emotion on the field, not off the field."