Dekalb, IL:
As Don McClean's song 'American
Pie' said, "the players tried to take the field, but the
marching band refused to yield." It was a little different on
Thursday July 12, when members of the Capital Regiment Drum &
Bugle Corps were hurt when several members of the Northern Illinois
University Football team hit them on the NIU football field. There
are several reports below from NIU, The Chicago Times, The DeKalb
Press, and MSNBC.
NIU
football fracas puts band on the run
Chicago Times
Two
hurt in melee between drum corps, football players
DeKalb Daily Chronicle
Football
team, Drum Corps do battle
MSNBC
From
the NIU Public Affairs Office:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT RE: JULY 12 INCIDENT AT HUSKIE STADIUM
The administration of Northern Illinois University and its athletic
department today express "deep regret" over an incident
Thursday in which members of a Drum Corps Midwest unit from Columbus,
Ohio were injured. A disagreement between drum-and-bugle-corps directors
and athletic staff working with about 20 NIU football players escalated
into an incident in which some
players ran through a crowd of practicing musicians. At least three
musicians were injured; one athletic staff member and one football
player were subsequently arrested.
"I am deeply disturbed by this incident and want to personally
apologize to members of the Corps and their families," said NIU
President John Peters. "This is totally unacceptable. There is
no excuse for what happened, and I want to assure all involved that
extremely serious measures have been and will be taken to ensure that
those responsible are appropriately restrained and disciplined."
"We are very concerned about the health and well-being of the
young musicians involved, and I want to assure them and their families
that the university's first and foremost concern is their welfare,"
he added. Administrative staff have been assigned to personally attend
to the needs of all those involved, while university police continue
their investigation into the incident.
According to NIU officials, the staff member involved has been suspended,
and all the student athletes involved will be disciplined appropriately
based on the results of the investigation.
NIU football coach Joe Novak echoed Peters' sentiments.
"I am extremely disappointed in the individuals involved,"
Novak said. "We strive to be responsible
members of the university community and good ambassadors for NIU -
this incident runs contrary to
what I know are the values of our team. We will fully cooperate with
this investigation and take whatever disciplinary actions are called
for. Again, we deeply regret this incident," he said.
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