WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called embattled radio talk show host Don Imus to talk about comments he made about the Rutgers women's basketball team, the Republican presidential contender told a group of reporters Tuesday at Alabama's State Capitol.

"I believe that he understands that he made a very, very big mistake, that that wasn't his intention," Giuliani said in Montgomery. "But it was very, very damaging what he said, he understands the damage he did to the people on the team."

Giuliani also said he would appear on his radio show again, since he believed Imus was sorry for his comments about the team.

"He seems sincerely sorry about it and he seems like someone who will endeavor not to do that again and I'll take him at his word," Giuliani said. "And assume that he sticks to that, which I have no reason to believe he wouldn't, I would appear on his show."

Other presidential candidates also weighed in on the controversy. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said on Monday he gives Imus credit for apologizing, but understood that the basketball team may need more than that.

"He has apologized," McCain said. "He's said that he's deeply sorry. I'm a great believer in redemption.

"Whether he needs to do more in order to satisfy the concerns of people like the members of that team, that's something that's between him and them," McCain added.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, described the remarks as “divisive, hurtful and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.

"With a public platform, comes a trust," Obama said in a prepared statement. "As far as I'm concerned, he violated that trust."

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut said, "As the father of two young girls, I can imagine how hurtful these comments were to these young women and their parents. The comments were wrong and unacceptable."

Democratic frontrunner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, said, "I've never been asked to go on his show and I've never wanted to go on his show and I certainly don't ever intend to go on his show. I felt that way before his latest, outrageous, hateful, hurtful comments. And they just reaffirmed my belief that there really shouldn't be a place for that kind of outrageous commentary on the public airwaves."