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Notre Dame‘s men’s ice hockey team is getting a bit of heat for a tweet that the team has since deleted and apologized for in which they told fans traveling to games abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland to refrain from wearing Irish symbolism including the color green and even the word “Irish.”
The Fighting I̶r̶i̶s̶h̶ are heading to Northern Ireland to play in a tournament called the “Friendship Four,” which includes three other teams — all of which play in Hockey East — Merrimack College, Harvard University, and Boston University.
So, ahead of the big trip the I̶r̶i̶s̶h̶ gave their fans a list of things to do and not to do across the pond.
According to the Daily Mail, the since-deleted tweet tread, “We can’t wait to see your Notre Dame in Belfast gear inside SSE Arena. Just a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town.”
They also shared the graphics you can see below.
Uh, what?
If it’s such a problem, maybe don’t pick a team called the Irish who are wearing special jerseys for the tournament which say “IRISH” right across the front.
As you’d expect, the guidelines got some not-so-positive attention and the team has since scrubbed the original post and offered a new statement.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we posted guidelines on social media for fans wishing to express support for the team during its upcoming trip to Northern Ireland,” the statement reads. “The guidelines were not properly reviewed and should not have been posted. Our game in Belfast is meant to bring people together and build bridges through sport, we apologize to fans and to the people of Northern Ireland for any confusion or offense.”
Notre Dame is 5-7 on the year 1-5 in Big Ten play.
Yes; Notre Dame is in the Big Ten for hockey.