Rice marching band makes fun of Baylor scandal (Update)
Update: Saturday, Sept. 17 – 4:30 p.m. ET
Rice University has released a statement, saying the Marching Owl Band may have gone “too far” with its Friday night performance. Here is the university’s statement in its entirety:
“The Marching Owl Band, or MOB, has a tradition of satirizing the Rice Owls’ football opponents. In this case, the band’s calling attention to the situation at Baylor was subject to many different interpretations. Although the band’s halftime shows are entirely the members’ projects with no prior review by the university administration, we regret any offense, particularly if Baylor fans may have felt unwelcome in our stadium.
While we know that the MOB did not intend in any way to make light of the serious issue of sexual assault, we are concerned that some people may have interpreted the halftime performance in that vein. Sexual assault is a matter of serious concern on campuses across the nation, and all of us have an obligation to address the matter with all the tools at our disposal.
The MOB sought to highlight the events at Baylor by satirizing the actions or inactions of the Baylor administration, but it is apparent from the comments of many spectators and Baylor fans that the MOB’s effort may have went too far.”
Original story: Friday, Sept. 16 – 11:00 p.m. ET
During halftime of Friday night’s Baylor-Rice game, Rice’s marching band — the Marching Owl Band — decided to poke fun at Baylor and the sexual assault scandal that has rocked the school.
According to Adam Coleman, the Rice beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, the band formed the Roman numeral for nine, referring to the multiple Title IX investigations and lawsuits Baylor is facing in the fallout of the scandal, which included rape allegations (and two convictions) against several Baylor football players.
The band also formed into a star while playing “Hit The Road, Jack,” in reference to ousted Baylor president Ken Starr.
Holy crap Rice's halftime show is just the Rice band making fun of Baylor for the program's sexual assault scandal. pic.twitter.com/IH6Lg03wrJ
— Tom Middlescreen (@bdbsport) September 17, 2016
Rice's MOB band making fun of Baylor’s sexual assault scandal at halftime. Referring to Title IX here pic.twitter.com/kp39MsoZKi
— Adam Coleman (@RiceChron) September 17, 2016
This performance came with former Baylor head coach Art Briles in attendance (Update: Briles told ESPN.com he left during the second quarter). Briles was fired in May after Baylor’s board of regents released the findings of fact of an independent investigation into how the school handled sexual assault accusations. The investigation pointed to failings in the Baylor football program and athletic department as a whole.
Baylor fans who made the trip to Houston for the game were understandably not happy about the band’s performance. One, according to Rice’s student newspaper, confronted band members.
An angry Baylor fan went up to confront MOB members after the performance. Rice students calmed the situation and walked him to concourse
— Thresher Sports (@ThresherSports) September 17, 2016
The Marching Owl Band is known for stirring the pot. They made fun of Texas A&M and the Johnny Manziel autograph scandal back in 2013 and have jabbed at Texas several times over the years. Nonetheless, Friday night’s display is sure to cause some controversy, and rightly so. Sexual assault is no laughing matter.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
