PFA chairman Ben Purkiss is being pushed to apologise to Tottenham striker Harry Kane after a crack at Sunday's awards night.
The FA said sorry for a tweet having a dig at the Tottenham star's performance in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United.
But Purkiss, who made a crack about the goal claimed by Kane at Stoke, has refused to follow suit despite feelings running high behind the scenes.
He said in his speech: “Harry Kane is so prolific that he is able to score without touching the ball."
It is understood Kane and his family are furious and see the jokes being made at the striker's expense as a form of bullying.
But he argued he had already said sorry to Kane and Spurs privately, so had no need to do publicly.
He said: “The facts are I personally spoke to Harry Kane. I explained I was complimenting him on his achievements, how he went on loan before being such a success at Tottenham and my comments were complimentary.
"During my speech I made reference to the fantastic achievements of our members. I spoke about the adversity footballers at all levels face. I referenced some of the nominees for the PFA Men's award.
"I referenced Harry Kane and spoke about my admiration for his success he achieved after his loan spells away from White Hart Lane. I said that he was so good he could score without touching the ball. I know for a fact he touched the ball. He was credited with the goal by an independent panel.
"I was joking at how ridiculous the coverage was as he is such a talented footballer. I contacted Harry to explain my comments and he stated that he had not taken offence to my comments.
"I have utmost respect for Harry Kane and all our members. I have nothing but admiration for Harry."