BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– Indiana University’s athletic director is apologizing about the profane chants from IU fans and students at Tuesday night’s game against Purdue University.
The chants were directed at Purdue Center Matt Haarms.
In a letter to student-season ticket holders, Athletic Director Fred Glass called the chants “embarrassing” and “unacceptable.” Here is the full letter:
Thank you so much for attending last night’s game against Purdue. Overall, you and your fellow student fans were awesome! You came early and stayed late, cheered hard, and, because you are the most knowledgeable fans in college basketball, you knew just when to take it up a notch to help our team try to get a key basket or a key stop.
The profane chants directed at a specific Purdue player were not part of your positive contributions. They were embarrassing and unacceptable and reflected poorly on you and Indiana University. Knock off the profane chants, and please help those around you to do the same. You and Indiana University are better than that.
Again, thanks for your support and passion, and I hope you will come back and help us win our last three home games.
Glass called Purdue University Athletic Director Michael Bobinski personally to apologize, according to the IU athletic department.
IU says they have a protocol in place for profane chants, including having announcers and cheerleaders drown them out.
However, the chants Tuesday night were loud enough to be heard on television and radio.
“They were all over me. It was bad,” Purdue center Matt Haarms said of the fans’ taunts, according to our newsgathering partners at the IndyStar. “It’s always bad. It’s bad at Michigan, at Michigan State, at Maryland, at Iowa, but not like this.”
Former IU Head Coach Tom Crean spoke out against profane chats in 2009, IndyStar reports.
“First things first, I love our fans and I love our students. We come to the games and we cheer like crazy for our team and we can be obnoxious and we can be nasty and we can cheer against the other team,” Crean said.
“But we never use vulgarity against an opponent. That is not what happened at Indiana in the past and it’s certainly not going to happen under my watch.
“We have too much pride, too many great students, too many tradition-based things here for anything to turn it the other way,” Crean said. “And nobody deserves that. We have to find a way to be obnoxious without being vulgar because we are too good for that.”
Former Hoosier and NBA player Alan Henderson tweeted some thoughts on the situation:
What’s going on in assembly hall? Win or lose, we should not hear curse chants at opponents & read about it in @indystar That’s not what @IndianaMBB is about. Someone needs to shut that down! On the PA system whenever it starts. It’s disrespectful to all the players, former & now
— Alan Henderson (@44AlanHenderson) February 20, 2019
we beat @templeuniv to go to sweet 16 in 1994. Coach Cheney got on our bus after &congratulated us. Said we aren’t his enemy just his opponent. Never forget that. @IndianaMBB Fans need to keep that in mind when cussing a @BoilerBall kid that’s just trying to hoop. #balldontlie
— Alan Henderson (@44AlanHenderson) February 20, 2019
Come on to a couple of these replies…just like I tell my kids. Even if someone else does/says something to you. You are responsible for your own reaction/actions. What they do/say is on them. So don’t gimme that ‘ but they were cussing too’ argument. #iubb
— Alan Henderson (@44AlanHenderson) February 20, 2019
All that takes away from the fact that the team played hard last night. Few mistakes late which is just part of the game. But it wasn’t lack of effort. Came up short against a solid team. But they competed. Just have to keep at it! @IndianaMBB
— Alan Henderson (@44AlanHenderson) February 20, 2019
