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Rutgers AD apologizes for fans' Sandusky scandal shirts, signs

By Jerry Hinnen | Staff Writer

Julie Hermann called the actions of some Rutgers fans 'inappropriate and offensive.' (USATSI)
Julie Hermann called the actions of some Rutgers fans 'inappropriate and offensive.' (USATSI)
Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann apologized Monday for T-shirts and signs displayed by Scarlet Knight fans Saturday that crudely referenced the Penn State Jerry Sandusky scandal.

247Sports reported that photos including the shirts and "a banner with stick figures portraying a sex act with Penn State written on the top" appeared on the official Rutgers football Facebook page before being deleted Sunday.

Hermann's statement, in full:

On behalf of Rutgers University and the Athletic Department, we would like to apologize for the regrettable actions of a handful of Rutgers fans on Saturday that do not convey the message of good, competitive spirit that we look forward to having with our new Big Ten rival Penn State University.

Some of the signage and t-shirts that we have been made aware of were both inappropriate and offensive.

I have spoken with and apologized to the Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour and I would like to apologize equally to the Penn State University fans, as well as Rutgers fans that were subjected to this classless display that does not represent the ethos of our university, athletic department or fan base.

The two inappropriate pictures that appeared briefly on our Facebook page as part of a 200-picture montage were immediately removed when we were alerted to their content.

It is unfortunate that the actions of a few spoiled an otherwise historic and recording-setting night that Rutgers fans provided for our first Big Ten football game.

From Twitter user @MikePettigano, a screenshot of one of the photos deleted from the Rutgers Facebook page, featuring a "Beat Ped State" shirt:

The visiting Nittany Lions defeated the Scarlet Knights 13-10 in Rutgers' Big Ten debut.

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