Vanderbilt posts pic with ‘We don’t need your permission’ motto

After a dreadful 2014 season, Vanderbilt is getting pumped for the 2015 season.

The school’s official football account posted the following motivational picture with key words on Thursday. It didn’t go so well.

Given the focus on sexual assault at colleges, a poster with a team saying it doesn’t need your permission isn’t the best look. And it’s exceptionally tone deaf and awkward – at best – for Vanderbilt, given the incident involving former members of the football team two years ago.

We reached out to Vanderbilt on Thursday afternoon about the tweet, which was deleted approximately three hours after it was posted.

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Four players were accused of raping an unconscious female in June 2013. A mistrial was declared this summer in the case of two of the players after a juror withheld information that he was involved in a statuatory rape case. Before the mistrial was declared, Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were convicted of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated sexual battery.

Prosecutors are pursuing a new trial. Jaborian McKenzie and Brandon Banks are awaiting trial on separate charges. McKenzie testified in Vandenburg and Batey’s trial that while he took pictures, he did not touch the woman.

Vanderbilt did apologize for the tweet.

We apologize for today’s tweet. It’s not a comment about sexual assault. Sex without permission is always wrong and not accepted. (1/2)

— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) August 6, 2015

Sexual assault is not acceptable at Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Athletics and Vanderbilt Football. (2/2)

— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) August 6, 2015