Wisconsin Punishes 2 Fans Who Wore Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Noose Costume

WISCONSIN — The University of Wisconsin has revoked the season tickets of two football fans after they were photographed clad in a Halloween costume that many have deemed went too far.

Two fans attended the Oct. 29 Wisconsin vs. Nebraska Big 10 football game and were photographed in the stands at Camp Randall Stadium with one side of the costume depicting President Barack Obama's likeness attached to a noose.

On the other side of the costume were cardboard cutouts of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Kicked out of the Game

Once the fans were spotted by stadium security, they were escorted from the property without incident. Stadium policy prohibited the use of masks, and the noose was considered a dangerous carry-in, which were both against stadium policy. Wisconsin officials, however, initially defended the costume-wearing fans on the basis of freedom of political speech.

Student-Athletes React Strongly

The university's reaction and response to the incident generated strong reactions almost immediately from many of the school's student-athletes. Wisconsin basketball player Nigel Hayes, who is African-American, and 20 African-American players on the Wisconsin football team joined to publish a strident retort based on the university's handling of the whole situation.

According to an ESPN report, the statement, which was shared by more than 20 of the football team's black players as well as basketball star Hayes and several other student-athletes, noted that black athletes "are loved during competition but then subjected to racial discrimination in our everyday lives too."

Wisconsin Tries to Make Amends

Wisconsin officials later revoked the season tickets of the two costume-wearing fans indefinitely, but only after the groundswell of criticism following their initial handling of the situation. The university has since issued a statement reflecting upon the incident.

"I am personally very sorry that the hurt that this incident and our response to it has caused," UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank read from a prepared statement at a Monday afternoon faculty senate meeting, as reported by the Wisconsin State Journal. "I have heard from students, faculty and community members who are dissatisfied with our response, and I understand why. A noose is the symbol of some of the worst forms of racial hatred and intimidation in our country's history. We understand this, and we should have communicated that more forcefully from the very beginning. ... I understand the deeply hurtful impact this particularly has on our students and communities of color."

Image credit @woahohkatie via Twitter