The University sparked a national controversy by airbrushing painted crosses off the shoulders of Painted Posse members in a photo broadcast to University students in October, but now the tension has died down, and much has happened since the South Carolina game when the photo was taken.
Although the University was within its rights to edit the photo, Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications Herb Vincent said the University will avoid using similar photos in the future.
“It could have been taken that we were perturbed with the University,” said Painted Posse Captain and political science senior Cameron Cooke. “But instead, it came across as, ‘Hey, it was a mistake but has been righted, and we can move on now.’”
Cooke said the group never guessed the story would be featured on news sites such as Fox News, Yahoo and The Huffington Post, but Painted Posse members are pleased with how the situation turned out.
“We had so many emails and calls. We saw an outpouring of love and support from across the country,” Cooke said.
In the months following the controversy, the Painted Posse has indeed garnered national support and has seen a significant increase in interest from students wanting to be part of the group.
Here’s a timeline of some of the big events surrounding the Painted Posse controversy:
Saturday, Oct. 13 — The Painted Posse photo was taken during LSU’s contest against South Carolina.
Tuesday, Oct. 16 — The University sent an email containing the edited photo.
Wednesday, Oct. 17 — The Daily Reveille published the Painted Posse story.
Local news site NBC33 published a story about the Painted Posse, including a video interview with Posse members.
Thursday, Oct. 18 — Baton Rouge news site WBRZ and Campus Reform published a story about the Painted Posse.
Monday, Oct. 22 — National news sources Fox News, The Blaze, Huffington Post, CBS, The Associated Press and Yahoo News posted stories about the Painted Posse.
Tuesday, Oct. 23 — The Painted Posse delivered a press release.
“We, the members of the Painted Posse, do not agree with the University’s recent decision to airbrush crosses out of the photo of some of our members. We also respect the opinions of those who do not agree with us. Despite what happened, our main focus is to represent Christ.”
WAFB published a story on the Painted Posse’s press release.
NBC33 did a follow-up story about the Painted Posse’s response to the controversy.
Wednesday, Oct. 24 — Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Joe Alleva published a letter on LSUsports.net apologizing for editing the photo, which he said was an error in judgment. Alleva said similar edits will not be made again and apologies had been made to the Painted Posse.
‘We saw an outpouring of love and support from across the country.’
The painted posse cheers at the front of the student section Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 during the Tigers' 63-14 win over Idaho in Tiger Stadium.
