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Thought you all might be interested in the conduct I witnessed at the OSU / Northwestern Football game last Saturday night.

He is the gist of a letter I sent to the NU President and to a few newspapers:

Last Saturday night I attended the Northwestern University versus The Ohio State University football game with my five-year-old son in Evanston, IL. The act I observed there by the NU student body goes beyond outrage. During the playing of the National Anthem 90% of those in attendance at the stadium either observed the moment in silence or sang along. However, the NU student section could clearly be heard chanting: “*expletive* You Ohio State, *expletive* You Ohio State, *expletive* You Ohio State.”

With numerous children in attendance this conduct was unacceptable at any point during the event. But for the NU students to chant this during the playing of our National Anthem is an act that is outside the boundaries of freedom of speech.

This is one of most classless acts I have ever observed. I have three children and NU will NEVER be an option for them when it comes time to select an institution of higher learning, nor will I ever attend another athletic event at NU’s facilities. The NU student body owes numerous people an apology for their actions, including the men and women currently engaged in combat overseas. I hope that the Administration of NU looks into this conduct and takes disciplinary action against those students that instigated the event.

Here’s the response from the AD at Northwestern. I’ll likely cut them a little slack tonight on my show:

Our president, Henry Bienen, forwarded your e-mail to me for response. I apologize for the behavior of our students. This type of behavior is embarrassing and totally unacceptable. I will work with our VP for Student Affairs to take steps to stop this type of behavior. I intend to write an e-mail to all students requesting that they no longer act in this manner. I was pleased to see that a number of our students were critical of the students that swore during the national anthem. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Nathan...I would like to formally invite you to an Eagles home game. I'm not exactly what you would call a model citizen, and I don't even go to THOSE games.

NNOY, as much as your thoughts on the MB's have annoyed me at times, this is by far your finest. Being a Texas A&M graduate, I'm used to seeing acts like these acted on promptly.

30 years ago, when Rice was in the SWC with A&M, the Rice band, known as the Mob, did a parody at halftime against American and A&M traditions at the time we were pulling out of Vietnam. If you are familiar with Texas A&M, it is the largest producer of military officers outside of the academys in the U.S. The Mob's performance reached such a disgusting point that the A&M senior Corps of Cadet members on the field drew their sabers and forced them out of the stadium. And this was at Rice Stadium. To my recollection, from that point on the Rice band never performed or was in attendance at any future Rice/A&M football games.

I'm not against freedom of speech but the amount of blood that has been shed to preserve our way of life has drawn a line to some of us that can't or shouldn't be crossed.

Great take on the TAMU / Rice event, that’s the first I heard of that one.

The MB is mostly for fun and games (as you can see from most of my posts) but occasionally we all need to be serious. I’m for freedom of speech as much as anyone, but disrespecting the sacrifices made by those that actually gave their lives to provide for our way of life is where I agree with you that the line should be drawn.

It might be a private school problem, NNOY, because Rice and Northwestern are very similar in size and student body makeup. Rice puts out some of the finest doctors in the country but through my association with Rice graduates during college and the 8 years I lived and worked in Houston, I found them to act quite spoiled and snobbish. Pretty much like your average liberal.

Watch ESPN's college football coverage. I really think ESPN is indirectly responsible for a lot of the crap behavior we see in the stands and on the field,

You are dead on, IC. It's also the reason for the crap behavior on the fields, courts, etc. Everyone wants their 15 seconds.

15 seconds--Like that Idiot a year or 2 ago that got drunk and took his son with him on the baseball field and attacked that team manager...NNOY, sorry your child had to hear stuff like that. A curse every now and then at a ballgame is expected, but that was unpatriotic and plain idiotic. That was like taking the constitution and wiping their a s s e s with it.

I agree with you, Diesel. Seems the word RESPECT doesn't exist in too many peoples' vocabularies anymore particularly with this 15-30 year old group. Spoiled!!

You want to attend the absolutely perfect college football experience go to a Texas A&M game at Kyle Field. Don't be surprised, NNOY, if I invite you and your son down to a game next year with my NFFC winnings.