Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was suspended for five games Tuesday after his "I love Fidel Castro" comments outraged fans and insulted many Cubans in Florida.

Guillen, a 48-year-old Venezuelan, recently told Time magazine that he respects Castro for staying in power for 60 years despite American attempts to oust him.

His comments led to an outcry in Miami's large Cuban community, many of them exiles from the Castro regime.

Guillen later apologized, calling himself "very stupid" for talking about subjects outside of baseball.

"I feel like I betrayed my Latin community," Guillen said in Spanish at a press conference Tuesday. "I am here to say I am sorry with my heart in my hands, and I want to say I'm sorry to all those people who are hurt indirectly or directly."

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said his suspension is appropriate.

"The pain and suffering caused by Fidel Castro cannot be minimized in a community filled with victims of the dictatorship," Marlins leadership said in a statement.

The team's decision takes effect immediately.