Vanderbilt's athletic department said it would launch a review of its social media practices after a tweet it sent on Thursday.
The school's football account posted a picture with the phrase "We don't need your permission." Four now-former Vanderbilt players were accused of raping an unconscious female student in a June 2013 incident.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
The athletic department later removed the tweet and issued an apology about two hours later. Mason said after Thursday's practice that he "regretted that it went out and that it was offensive."
Vanderbilt spokesman Rod Williamson said the athletic department will be reviewing its social media practices.
The statement came from a larger point that Vanderbilt coach Derrick Mason was making on July 21. While the tweet with the poster included some of Mason's key words for the 2015 season, it didn't have the context of Mason's previous tweet.
Back in Nashville and the work never stops. This team wants,what some say it can't obtain. Sorry...We don't need your permission! ⚓️👇
— Derek Mason (@CoachDerekMason) July 21, 2015
The school deleted the picture tweet three hours after it was posted and later tweeted an apology. Athletic director David Williams also issued a statement about the tweet.
Two former players were recently convicted on rape charges from the incident but a mistrial was eventually declared after an issue with a juror. Prosecutors are pursuing a new trial. Two other former players are awaiting trial.
"We deeply regret sending it and clearly failed to consider all of its implications before doing so. The phrase 'We don’t need your permission' was condensed from a larger statement and intended as a message to motivate our players and fans and to address those who have doubts about the football team’s competitiveness this season. A staff member shortened the statement for Twitter, failing to recognize how the abbreviated tweet could be interpreted."
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
