Illinois school officials apologized Saturday after former star Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey was unveiled upside down during a retirement ceremony at halftime of the Michigan State-Illinois game.
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Fans gasped in the crowd as Shannon, who helped lead Illinois to the Elite Eight last season, pulled a cord to unveil his jersey, which will now hang in the rafters at the State Farm Center. The jersey, meant to honor Shannon's accomplishments, was not properly positioned when it was revealed.
Shannon, who averaged 23 points per game last season and earned a spot on The Associated Press All-America third team, had a significant impact on the program. However, his year was also marked by turbulence. He was suspended midseason after being charged with sexual assault in relation to an alleged incident in Kansas, though he was reinstated following a legal challenge and returned to play after missing several games. Last summer, Shannon was acquitted of rape and aggravated sexual assault charges at trial.
Shannon, who was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 27th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is currently averaging 3.1 points in 16 games during his rookie season.
Before Saturday's game, Shannon expressed surprise at the gesture, noting that he only spent two years at Illinois after transferring from Texas Tech, where he played for three seasons.
"I was shocked because I was only here for two years," Shannon said to local media ahead of the ceremony. "I was just happy. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to get my jersey up there."
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman addressed the mishap after the game, calling the incident "regrettable."
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"Obviously, a really regrettable moment," Whitman said. "It's a shame that it happened that way. Of course, I didn't hang the jersey, but I'm ultimately responsible for everything that happens in this building and ultimately that means that was on me tonight. We need to make sure we understand that in life, mistakes happen. But there are also certain moments where mistakes can't happen. And tonight, we stole that moment from [Shannon] and that's on us and something that we have apologized to him for, apologized to his mom. We want to make sure that we apologize to our fans and everybody who was excited to be a part of this experience tonight."
Whitman also acknowledged the significant effort the school put into planning the ceremony, which made the error even more embarrassing.
"We did get the jersey right-sided and have a chance to get [Shannon] with [coach Brad Underwood] on the court to take some pictures after the game was over," Whitman said. "But nothing we can do to recreate that moment. We recognize that. We own it. There's certain mistakes that can't happen."
Following his team's loss to Michigan State, which gave Tom Izzo the record for most Big Ten wins over former Indiana coach Bob Knight, Underwood spoke emotionally about Shannon's impact.
"To have a jersey that will hang — and I know how important it is to the fans here and I know how important it is for him; he's from Chicago, he grew up watching this — and to be up there with so few others, there's not enough adjectives, there's not enough words, for how proud I am," Underwood said.
