Rutgers AD apologizes for drinking beer at student tailgate

Rutgers' Patrick Hobbs proved this past weekend that even athletic directors can succumb to peer pressure.

Weeks after Rutgers announced it would sponsor student tailgating events at home football games, Hobbs was caught on video drinking a beer given to him by a student at the event. The Rutgers AD apologized for his actions shortly after the video appeared online.

Despite initially refusing the chorus of chanting students, Hobbs popped back a cold one because, in his mind, the situation needed to be defused, according to Keith Sargeant of NJ Advance Media.

"My first concern is always for the safety and well-being of our students," Hobbs said. "Anyone who was at the (student tailgate) Saturday knows that I was acting to ensure that."

Rutgers released a statement Tuesday via Twitter canceling all future student tailgating events.

Rutgers made no statement regarding other possibilities for future tailgating, but Hobbs said that "a number of concerns were raised" on the matter.

"I regret that any action on my part can be interpreted as promoting the use of alcohol," Hobbs said. "That was certainly not my intention."