Alfredo Morelos has claimed he didn't hit Scott Brown in the face during Sunday's stormy 2-1 defeat to Celtic.
The Rangers striker also reckons officials didn't see the red card incident when it happened and reacted after several Hoops players surrounded the linesman.
Bobby Madden consulted his assistant before issuing the Colombian his fifth red card of the season.
Morelos was roundly criticised after the latest flashpoint but reckons Brown "exaggerated" contact and helped get him sent off.
The 22-year-old issued a social media apology on Monday following the clash but has given further detail during an interview on Colombian radio.
The striker will serve a four-game ban but thinks he was unfairly treated during the defeat which all but ends Rangers' title dreams.
And he believes it was the actions of Celtic's players which ultimately led to his dismissal.
He told Blu Radio : "I think that with these kinds of derbies there is always a lot of adrenaline, there is a lot of aggression and they are lived with a lot of intensity.
"And all the derbies that I have played in have been like that.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard accuses Celtic of 'playing the victim card'
"I always come into contact with the Celtic captain and I've always had strong contact with him and it's always been like that.
"I didn't touch his face and I think that he exaggerated a lot.
"Neither the referee nor his assistant saw what happened. Celtic players went over and put pressure on the linesman and then not even five seconds later the linesman told the referee to send me off.
"Like I said, I have to confront these things in the best way possible and that's what I'm doing. I apologised publicly and well, we have to keep moving forward, with my head held high."
Morelos, who has been involved in a string of high-profile incidents this season, has lifted the lid on his dressing room dressing down from boss Steven Gerrard.
The 29-goal striker admits he takes full responsibility and wants to win over his boss and the supporters once when he returns.
He added: "After the match when we were in the dressing room, everything that he said publicly he also told me in front of my team-mates, and I accepted it, I looked him in the eyes and told him that it was there was no problem.
"Like I said I take full responsibility for the day of the match. It was an error that I made and I accept that and, like I said, my team-mates support me.
"I want to respond to my manager also in the upcoming games. I need to continue, believe in myself and my team and keep doing things well and regain the confidence of my manager.
"These last 48 hours have been very hard for me, but I will try and deal with things in the best way possible and move forward. Everyone learns from their mistakes.
"We know that the press have been very critical of me with respect to the red card. I am a very positive player with a desire to move forward. This has been a lesson for me and I'll learn a lot from it."
