Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann issued a public apology Monday afternoon for the "classless display" of some fans against Penn State after photos popped up on social media of some Scarlet Knights fans making light of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
The Scarlet Knights, making their Big Ten debut, hosted the Nittany Lions on Saturday night, and photos began making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter before the game. Several photos showed Rutgers fans wearing red "Beat Ped State!" T-shirts, while another showed an inappropriate banner in Penn State's colors.
"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," Hermann wrote in a statement.
Hermann alluded to both the T-shirts and the banner in a news release and said they briefly appeared on Rutgers' Facebook page as part of a 200-picture montage. The photos were immediately removed.
Hermann said she contacted Penn State's athletic director, Sandy Barbour, to offer further apologies.
"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."
Rutgers set a school attendance record for the game with a crowd of 53,774 at High Point Solutions Stadium, 37 more fans than the 2009 Cincinnati-Rutgers contest. Rutgers lost to Penn State 13-10 on Saturday night.
