Nebraska’s chancellor and athletic director finally broke their silence on coach Bo Pelini on Wednesday, and their statement was a resounding, “Oh, yeah. We handled that more than a year ago.”
Chancellor Harvey Perlman and current A.D. Shawn Eichorst issued a joint statement indicating that the university found Pelini’s controversial comments about Huskers fans disturbing when they learned of them under a previous athletic administration. Former A.D. Tom Osborne, also a legendary coach who led the football program from 1973 to 1997, apparently met with Pelini about the comments.
While Osborne found Pelini’s remarks “deeply concerning,” Osborne seemed to be satisfied enough with the outcome of their meeting to not pursue the matter further.
The statement reads, in full:
“The comments made by head football coach Bo Pelini in 2011, published Monday, are unfortunate and deeply concerning to us, as they would be to anyone who loves this university. Our coaches, staff and student-athletes must be held to a high standard and coach Pelini’s remarks were unfair to the legions of Nebraska fans and not what we expect from a representative of this university.
“Former director of athletics Tom Osborne became aware of these comments and the existence of a recording more than a year ago, and addressed the matter with coach Pelini. We have observed, and many others have commented, that coach Pelini’s demeanor has significantly improved since the time of this incident.
“Coach Pelini has given us his assurance that he understands the seriousness and inappropriateness of his comments. We believe he is sincere in his apology and in his regret. We are prepared to put the matter to rest. Our football student-athletes, coaches and staff deserve all of our support and we know the Nebraska faithful will be there for them.”
Pelini’s Huskers host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Photo via Facebook/Nebraska Huskers
