East Carolina officials have taken their stand against marching band members who knelt during the Oct. 1 game against Central Florida.

In a statement released Tuesday, officials said they disapproved of the protest, which was met with boos from the stands.

"We regret the actions taken by 19 members of the East Carolina University Marching Pirates on game day October 1st felt hurtful to many in our Pirate family and disrespectful to our country. We understand and respect this is an issue where emotions are strong," the statement said.

"College is about learning, and it is our expectation that the members of the Marching Pirates will learn from this experience and fulfill their responsibilities. While we affirm the right of all our students to express their opinions, protests of this nature by the Marching Pirates will not be tolerated moving forward."

The university's chancellor, Cecil Staton, held a different tune. "While we acknowledge and understand the disappointment felt by many Pirate fans in response to the events at the beginning of today's football game, we urge all Pirate students, supporters and participants to act with respect for each other's views," he said.

In the wake of the protest, an ESPN Fayetteville (N.C.) affiliate announced it would not air East Carolina's game at South Florida on Saturday, Oct. 8.

ECU's band isn't alone in protesting the anthem against the wishes of higher powers. Two weeks ago, Nebraska senior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey, along with teammates Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal, knelt during the national anthem in a game vs. Northwestern. Rose-Ivey said he was met with online threats for his protest. Nebraska regent Hal Daub said that the players "had better be kicked off the team." However, the players received support from NU president Hank Bounds.