This was the photo attached to Vanderbilt's tweet, which has been deleted.
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This was the photo attached to Vanderbilt’s tweet, which has been deleted.

Vanderbilt has apologized for a tweet sent earlier today that caused social media outrage.

Vanderbilt’s tweet was sent around 10 a.m. and included the photo pictured above. It was later deleted, but not before folks on Twitter found it to be insensitive.

The quote was part of Mason's "RTI" slogan this season — "Relentless, Tough and Intelligent," — which was also referenced in the tweet. But Twitter followers quickly saw it in a different light for the football program that has long dealt with the aftermath of a June 2013 rape of an unconscious female student allegedly involving four former football players.

The Tennessean reported that two former Vanderbilt football players were found guilty in January, but it was declared a mistrial. Two more players haven’t gone to trial.

Follow me on Twitter: @AndyJohnstonAJC

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