Illinois athletic director issues public apology, condemns Illini fan harassment

Last month, Ohio State star EJ Liddell tweeted about inappropriate comments from Illinois fans. Last week, it allegedly happened again — and the Fighting Illini athletic director got involved Thursday.

At some point during Illinois’ Big Ten championship-clinching win over Iowa last week, Fighting Illini fans allegedly directed comments at Hawkeyes player Kris Murray. His father tweeted what happened.

“Kris was told to go ‘[expletive] kill yourself’ and ‘you [expletive] suck,'” Kenyon Murray tweeted. “I have left messages with Illinois athletic director, basketball staff, Iowa athletic department and basketball staff.”

That was more than a week after Fighting Illini fans directed “disrespectful” comments at Liddell, an Illinois native. That’s why Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman penned a lengthy letter to Illinois fans denouncing the comments and saying fans “must be better.”

“Unfortunately … at various games throughout this season, we witnessed troubling behavior from some of our fans that cast an unnecessary, ugly shadow on an otherwise memorable season,” Whitman wrote. “Some fans crossed the line with our opponents, choosing to deliver targeted, hateful, insensitive comments at opposing student-athletes and coaches. This pattern of unacceptable conduct culminated in recent weeks with particularly harsh remarks directed at star players for both Ohio State (link here) and Iowa (link here).

“On behalf of our university and all of us directly connected to our athletic program, to those who have been the targets of such vile rhetoric, I offer my most heartfelt apology. As an alumnus, letterwinner, and now the athletic director, I am disappointed and embarrassed by our behavior. We must be better. And we will be.”

Illinois coach Brad Underwood also said he reached out to Murray and his family. The Fighting Illini are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will face No. 9 seed Indiana on Friday.

Ohio State star EJ Liddell responds to Illinois fans following big win

Ohio State’s Feb. 24 game against Illinois was a homecoming of sorts for Buckeyes star EJ Liddell. He grew up in Belleville, Ill. — just outside St. Louis — and he got to see some friends and some family in Champaign.

But Friday, he took to Twitter to respond to criticism from Fighting Illini fans. In a four-part Twitter thread, he said some were “disrespectful” during the game, an 86-83 Ohio State victory.

“Great environment I loved the boos and the chants, they made me feel special,” Liddell wrote, in part. “But I can’t even explain how rude and disrespectful some fans were. Know your place. I have no hard feelings with that university but man y’all are crazy as hell if you think you can just talk to an athlete any kind of way. I play basketball everyday with a smile on my face.”