An Auburn athletic director apologized Friday for making false statements about the school’s next football opponent, Cal, and its fans.
Auburn and Cal’s incredibly online fan bases have been going back and forth on social media most of the week ahead of the schools’ showdown in Alabama on Saturday. One Auburn account posted a photo of Toomer’s Drugs, a historic drugstore that now is an old-school diner and ice cream shop, and warned Cal fans that the store was not a dispensary.
Auburn’s associate athletic director for leadership development Bill Shannon then replied to the post with a sarcastic warning for visitors from California, who in his mind seem to be lacking the requisite patriotism:
"I have another caution: No military flyover has taken place at a Cal game since the 50’s,” he wrote. “Those who do stand for the National Anthem may need something to calm them down. USAF jets incoming.”
The post is laughably untrue, as Cal has had plenty of flyovers at games. Just last season, when the Bears hosted Oregon State on Oct. 7, two F-15 jets soared across the East Bay sky.
Cal fans got wind of Shannon’s post and responded as expected, either by pointing out the inaccuracies or expressing incredulity at an Auburn athletics official making such a dismissive comment about another school’s fan base. Shannon issued an apology Friday morning.
“No offense meant to Cal. Thought it was a bit of humor,” Shannon said. “I grew up in California and know the political views there or at...
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