North Carolina topped their nearby rivals from Duke in Durham last Thursday night. Not satisfied with trashing Duke’s hopes of returning to the ACC Championship Game, the Tar Heels proceeded to shred through the visitor’s locker room in celebration. The University of North Carolina and head coach Larry Fedora have apologized to Duke for the damage done to the visitor’s locker room and UNC has offered to pay for the bill for repairs, according to The Herald Sun.
“We would like to apologize to the Duke Football program and Duke University for some inappropriate actions after last Thursday night’s game in Durham,” a statement from Fedora and UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham stated. “Our players took the celebrations too far when they were painting the bell, resulting in damage to some of the facilities at Duke. We take full responsibility for our players’ actions and will be paying for all costs associated with the cleanup. We view this as a rivalry built on mutual respect and we expect our players to behave better in a way that is more befitting of the rivalry.”
According to the report, the locker room was damaged with light blue spray paint in Duke’s practice facility next to Wallace Wade Stadium. The letters “UNC” were painted on a door. The paint was found on walls and carpets and the costs to repair the facility is estimated to be in the thousands.
Why would North Carolina players have spray paint at a game? The tradition of the Victory Bell typically has the winning team coat the bell in the school colors of the winning team. In the event of a win in Durham, UNC players were ready to uphold that tradition by packing some light blue spray paint for the short road trip. The celebration started on the field and continued as the Victory Bell moved inside the facility.