ESPN issued an apology Sunday after fumbling an apparent attempt to hop on the bandwagon of the parody Twitter account @CaptAndrewLuck, which depicts the Colts quarterback as a Civil War officer, during Saturday’s AFC wild-card game between the Colts and Texans.
During the broadcast, the Worldwide Leader paired Civil War-inspired graphics to highlight the success of Luck and the offensive line with the Confederate anthem, “Dixie,” drawing ire from viewers and fans alike.
“Did that graphic of Civil War Andrew Luck have him protected by guys with gray jackets and ‘Dixie’ playing in the background? Is George Pickett running the graphics department at ESPN?” The Ringer’s Michael Baumann tweeted.
“Did @espn just really play ‘Dixie’ in the background during that animation on their @NFL playoff game? Never thought I’d hear that on prime time TV in my lifetime,” wrote another.
After Luck helped lead the Colts to a 21-7 victory over the Texans, advancing to the divisional-round matchup with the Chiefs, ESPN addressed the controversy.
“It was a mistake to use this song. We regret having done so and we apologize,” ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement to Sporting News.
A source told the site that “Dixie” was not originally part of the graphic when first produced and approved, with the song being added at the last minute by a staffer. ESPN is said to have spoken to the individual.
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