A personal apology from a Purdue fan

I don't know how much you follow volleyball (if you don't, you should, Illinois has a really good team this year!), but as the volleyball correspondent over at Hammer and Rails and a member of the Block Party, Purdue's volleyball section, I am an avid follower of Purdue and Big Ten volleyball. Tonight, I witnessed something that disturbed me throughout the game.

Illinois has a great fan base for every sport and had a good turn out at the Purdue/Illinois match tonight at Purdue. There were 5 students from your own student section that, despite being out numbered, kept on cheering and had great spirit. However, members of the Purdue Wrestling team came out in their uniforms and purposely sat behind your students. At first I thought this was funny, but my thoughts quickly changed as the wrestling team continued harassing them throughout the whole match (and they were hardly paying attention to the game). I went to Purdue/Illinois football game in Champaign last year, and my friends have gone to Purdue/Illinois volleyball games in Champaign as well, and both of us, despite Purdue losing, have had positive interactions with you Illini fans. It was a shame to see this happen tonight, and I had to go up to one of the Illini students and personally thank him for coming to the game and adding to the already great atmosphere, to at least make up for the wrestling team's behavior. I have personally experienced what it is like to be in their shoes as I went on a road trip with the Paint Crew to Columbus for the Purdue/Ohio State Basketball game that quickly ended up being a mistake as we were harassed by OSU fans young and old. 

My friends and I have given the Purdue Wrestling team the "douche bags of the night" award. I ask that you accept my apology on behalf of Purdue fans everywhere. These few idiots are the reason why some people call us "Purdouche".