Rutgers apologizes to Penn State for ‘Ped State’ T-shirts worn by fans

Rutgers apologized on Monday for the actions of some fans, who decided it would be cute on Saturday to mock the Jerry Sandusky pedophile case during their 13-10 loss to the Nittany Lions.

Fans were pictured on Rutgers’ Facebook page and Twitter account with shirts that said “Beat Ped State.” Some fans also carried banners that depicted stick figures of a man and child in sexual positions. The photos were quickly pulled down, but not before they were saved and reshown by hundreds of people on both social media sites.

Rutgers AD Julie Hermann released the following statement Monday:

“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 record-setting night that Rutgers fans provided for our first Big Ten football game.”