The Ohio State University President Gordon Gee is under fire for comments he made last December regarding Catholics and Notre Dame.
According to a recording obtained by the Associated Press, during a meeting of the university's Athletic Council, Gee joked about negotiating with Notre Dame officials.
"The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week," Gee, who is a Mormon, said. "You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that."
News of Gee's comments, which were referred to as "certain offensive statements," reached the OSU board of trustees at its Jan. 31 meeting, according to The Plain Dealer. Board chairman Robert Schottenstein briefly addressed how the issue was handled.
"As such, the board took swift action – in conjunction with President Gee, who has fully acknowledged the inappropriateness of his remarks – to address the problem from a personal and professional standpoint," he said in a statement.
Gee, who has been in trouble for his remarks in the past, also released an apologetic statement to the AP.
"The comments I made were just plain wrong, and in no way do they reflect what the university stands for," he said. "They were a poor attempt at humor and entirely inappropriate. There is no excuse for this and I am deeply sorry."
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