The headline is misleading. He said he owed an apology, but nowhere in the statement is there any indication that he owed an apology to Clarence Thomas. I’m not sure who he is apologizing to. But it surely isn’t Clarence Thomas.
Good catch. Sulu gave a non-apology, like when someone claims to apologize "if you were offended." If you did wrong, you should apologize regardless of how anyone else was harmed or how anyone felt about your action.
He isn't sorry at all, but he knows he needed to say something that sounded like an apology. In his heart, he stands by his original racist comments.