Updated

After being acquitted of rape charges last month, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Josh McNary says he's grateful to have a second chance with the team.

The Colts signed McNary to the practice squad in September and promoted him to the active roster for the team's Week 2 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

"Football has kind of been a saving grace and was kind of the constant that I could grab hold of through this event and regain some normalcy in my life," McNary said Wednesday, per the Indianapolis Star.

McNary was charged in January and placed on the commissioner's exempt list prior to the AFC title game.

"It was pretty bad timing," McNary said. "It was really unfortunate. I really wanted to play in that game. It would have been the biggest game of my career. But it did happen. I can't cry over it."

McNary said Colts general manager Ryan Grigson reached out him two days after he was found not guilty on Sept. 4. The Colts worked the linebacker out and offered a spot on the practice squad.

As McNary has gotten back to football, he said the lessons associated with the events of the last year have remained with him.

"The fact of the matter is, you can kind of backtrack and think in hindsight about what you could have done," McNary said. "I could have stayed home... There's a lot of personal takeaways that I plan to implement in my life. Easy changes. Too many to pinpoint."