CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois athletic director released an open letter Monday afternoon defending the decision to end the "war chant" at all athletic events.
UI students were first informed of the decision at Thursday’s Illini soccer match, when an athletics official told a group who were playing it to stop.
The full text of the letter is below.
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Aug. 28, 2017
To my friends and fellow Illini:
I am one of you. To my pleasant surprise, this fact has resonated with our fans and alumni more than anything else in my early tenure as your athletics director.