The police departments of Texas Christian University and Baylor University are conducting an investigation involving rivalry-inspired vandalism incidents on both campuses.
The first incident occurred at Baylor outside McClane Stadium, where a statue of former Baylor quarterback and current Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was defaced with purple paint, according to a report filed Oct. 8 on the university’s daily crime log.
Walking the Baylor campus and came across the RG3 Statue… Classless vandalism by TCU fans #SicEm pic.twitter.com/diZIPmyXGH
— Hunter Mandel (@HunterMandel1) October 8, 2015
On Oct. 9, pictures surfaced on Twitter showing “61-58,” Baylor’s winning score in last year’s football game against TCU, scrawled in green on a wall on TCU’s campus.
@Jake_Trotter @HunterMandel1 @TCUCoachP Baylor fans did some retaliation on TCU property. That escalated quickly. pic.twitter.com/cRSMNd1HQQ
— Terry Beaudine (@TerryBeaudine) October 9, 2015
TCU police detective Robert Rangel confirmed this report and said that the university police department is conducting an investigation. He said he is not certain which campus building was vandalized.
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte and Baylor vice president and athletic director Ian McCaw issued a joint statement Oct. 9 regarding the incidents.
“TCU and Baylor are both outstanding institutions and share a proud athletics history,” Del Conte said in the statement. “Both campuses have recently been hit by acts of vandalism directed towards each other. These actions will not be tolerated. We are working closely with Baylor and public safety officials at both Universities on their investigations. We implore all those who are passionate about their school to respect each other and support their Universities in a positive manner.”
McCaw said the acts of vandalism are “unacceptable.”
“Baylor and TCU are two outstanding Universities who have great respect for one another, academically and athletically, and it is most disappointing that the actions of a few cast a negative light on a rivalry that dates back more than a century,” he said.