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Rutgers AD calls fan behavior 'regrettable'

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State spoiled Rutgers's Big Ten debut on Saturday in a 13-10 win, but the overarching story of the day came off the field.

Rutgers fans wore T-shirts and held up signs that featured insensitive or inappropriate remarks surrounding the infamous Jerry Sandusky scandal that plagued Penn State in 2011.

One T-shirt read "Beat Ped State!" while another banner showed an inappropriate cartoon. 

Today Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann issued a public apology for what she called the "classless display" of Scarlet Knights fans.

Hermann stated her displeasure with the fans' showing:

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. 

Hermann said she contacted Penn State's athletic director, Sandy Barbour, to offer further apologies, noted ESPN.

Saturday's game marked a school attendance record for Rutgers, with a crowd of 53,774 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

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