STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s baseball team made the wrong kind of fashion statement Thursday.
Taking the field for its final practice before opening a three-game series against No. 8 Florida as part of Super Bulldog Weekend, MSU worked out Thursday afternoon with more than half of its players donning new warmup shirts from Adidas, the school’s official uniform provider. The shirts included several MSU-centric phrases, such as Dudy Noble Field, Hail State, Left Field Lounge, and others.
But it was one phrase that drew ire from outsiders and prompted an apology from MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin.
In orange letters on the multi-colored shirt, one message reads “F–k the School Up North,” a reference to the University of Mississippi, MSU’s arch-rival.
The shirts, and the phrase in question, were immediately the subject of widespread criticism, and Sticklin wasted little time in clearing up the school’s stance on the matter.
“This afternoon, it came to my attention that a shirt provided to our baseball team by Adidas has an inappropriate phrase written on it,” Stricklin wrote in a tweet that was sent from his official Twitter account at around 4 p.m. “This is completely unacceptable and does not reflect the standards and values of Mississippi State University or its athletic department. For anyone who was offended by this shirt, as I was, please accept our apologies and rest assured that this has been rectified.”
The shirts in question were part of a set that also included matching cleats and leggings. All were designed as practice apparel only, and were not designed as jerseys. The shirts, until Thursday afternoon’s closed practice, had not been worn publicly.
MSU started its agreement with Adidas in 2009, and extended that contract just over a year ago. On April 10, 2014, the two parties extended the contract by announcing a seven-year deal with Adidas to serve as MSU’s exclusive apparel provider, a deal worth $17.5 million in both product and cash.
When the agreement was announced, Stricklin lauded the loyalty of Adidas.
“Loyalty is important. And Adidas came to us when we may not have been as appealing,” said Stricklin. “They outperformed. They went above and beyond. And our coaches are incredibly happy with that relationship.”
Hours after the shirts went viral, Adidas released a statement regarding Thursday’s controversy.
“We apologize to Mississippi State, their student-athletes, fans and alumni for this error,” said the company in a press release. “The Bulldogs’ baselayer graphic today featured old artwork that was never presented to the university. This graphic does not reflect our brand values nor those of Mississippi State. We take full responsibility for this error and wish Mississippi State the best of luck during Super Bulldog Weekend.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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