Rice regrets 'any offense' at band's performance that mocked Baylor sexual assault scandal

UPDATE: Rice released a statement on Saturday saying that the band did not intend to make light of the sexual assault scandal but instead was "satirizing the actions or inactions of the Baylor administration."

"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 gone too far."

ORIGINAL POST: Baylor's football program is certainly not the most popular in the country after it was at the center of the university's sexual assault scandal. Plenty of people have unleashed their wrath on the program on social media for the last year or so.

But that still could not have prepared the Baylor faithful for what happened on the road in a victory over Rice on Friday.

At halftime, the Rice band mocked the Bears for their sexual assault scandals with two formations during their performance. The first was in the Roman numeral IX to represent Title IX, the federal law that Baylor is accused of violating during the sexual assault scandal. Then the team shifted to a star formation to mock disgraced former Baylor president Ken Starr, who was demoted before he eventually resigned following the scandal.

Click here to view the tweets on your mobile app.

As if that were not enough, the Rice band used video graphics of Fozzy Bear from The Muppets making inappropriate Title IX jokes to complete the jab.

You can watch the full video of the performance below.

Twitter: @AdamGrosbard