Rutgers Student Tailgate Shut Down After AD Chugs A Beer On Stage

That man you see above you there is Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs, indulging in a cold one at the official Rutgers student tailgate before the school’s game against New Mexico on Saturday. Rutgers opened up a student tailgate zone this season to try and boost attendance, but after two games, the school has closed the section, citing safety concerns. Hobbs said that he took the stage to address those concerns, but instead, he ended up quaffing a foamy beer.

After the video surfaced this afternoon, Hobbs apologized and claimed that he showed up because he wanted to try and calm the apparently unruly students down.

“My first concern is always for the safety and well-being of our students,’’ Hobbs said. “Anyone who was at the (student tailgate) Saturday knows that I was acting to ensure that.’’

[...]

“I regret that any action on my part can be interpreted as promoting the use of alcohol,’’ he said. “That was certainly not my intention.’’

The Rutgers University police chief, who is somehow named Kenneth Cop, said that he and his department issued citations to four people. Hobbs apparently arrived as they were being given out and decided he had to make the ill-fated trip up an impromptu stage.

Rutgers didn’t say anything about whether or not they’d reopen the tailgate, or what kind of beer it was.

[ NJAM]