A Boston College women's soccer player was suspended from the team on the eve of its NCAA tournament second-round game at Penn State after posting a series of incendiary tweets involving former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted on 45 counts of child-sex abuse earlier this year.
Sophomore forward Stephanie McCaffrey, the Eagles' second-leading scorer, was suspended for Friday's game after making light of the Sandusky scandal. The Eagles ended up losing, 5-2.
McCaffrey sent out 10 tweets regarding Sandusky in the course of 24 hours, with some referencing the locker rooms and showers at Penn State. Sandusky was convicted in June of abusing 10 boys over 15 years, including some attacks inside Penn State athletic facilities.
McCaffrey's last tweet came around 4 p.m. ET Thursday, and her Twitter account had been taken down by 5:15 p.m.
BC athletic director Brad Bates said in a statement that McCaffrey's behavior is not condoned by the university.
"The student-athlete used very poor judgment and exhibited insensitivity toward Penn State, for which she apologizes," he said. "This type of behavior is not tolerated among our student-athletes."
The derision toward Penn State isn't unprecedented since the Sandusky scandal surfaced last year. One clothing company began selling "Pedo State" T-shirts, and some opposing fans have taken to making light of the situation. A group of Iowa fans dressed as Sandusky in prison uniforms, and a person donning a costume as "Pedobear" mocked PSU during the TicketCity Bowl.
A Penn State spokesman declined comment on McCaffrey's tweets.
McCaffrey was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after scoring nine goals with six assists. Her brother, James, is a sophomore defensive back on the Eagles football team.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
