Vanderbilt Deletes Rapey "We Don't Need Your Permission" Tweet

This is the sort of thing a university less than a year removed from a trial that saw two former football players convicted of sexual battery and aggravated rape should not tweet. Nevertheless, at 10:07 A.M. today, Vanderbilt tweeted the following text: "We are RELENTLESS, TOUGH AND INTELLIGENT, and…" The above image was meant to complete the coach's mantra. The tweet has since been deleted.

Obviously, this was intended to be a football rallying cry, a way to fire up players and fans alike. "TAKE WHAT'S YOURS, WE MAKE OUR OWN DESTINY!," that sort of thing. Which, not coincidentally, is why people talk about the problems with the "culture of football."

Whatever the intention, it's hard not to look at this as a perfect example of how willingly everyone involved with big-time programs gets utterly consumed by football, to the detriment of rational thought. Take a look at that image up there, and think about the time and the effort that went into creating it. And then read this paragraph.

With a teammate's help, according to the DA's opening statement at trial, Vandenburg "got her body into the elevator and onto the second floor," where she was taken into a dorm room and raped, while others watched and videotaped. Vandenburg and another former player were convicted on multiple counts in January. After it was discovered that the jury foreman failed to disclose he was a victim of statutory rape, the judge declared a mistrial and set aside the verdict. Not even a month ago, the two men were reindicted and given a new trial date of November 30. Two more former players are also awaiting trial. This is all by way of saying, this is still fresh and in the news.

How on Earth did no one associated with the Vanderbilt football program stop and think, Hmm, maybe we should go a different direction, here? They were embroiled in this 12-day trial. How does no one realize that "We don't need your permission!" is a brain-dead—if not utterly offensive—rallying cry for a football program fresh off an ugly rape trial? How do you just forget that your players took pictures of a fellow teammate with "an unconscious 21-year-old woman being sodomized"?

Eventually someone did realize the mistake and issued a two-tweet apology.

We apologize for today's tweet. It's not a comment about sexual assault. Sex without permission is always wrong and not accepted. (1/2)
— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) August 6, 2015

Sexual assault is not acceptable at Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Athletics and Vanderbilt Football. (2/2)
— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) August 6, 2015