Illinois sorry for hanging Terrence Shannon Jr. jersey upside down - ESPN

Illinois school officials have apologized after former star Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey was upside down during a retirement ceremony Saturday.

At halftime of Michigan State's win over Illinois, fans in the crowd gasped after the jersey, which will hang in the rafters at the State Farm Center, was not properly positioned when Shannon pulled a cord to unveil it.

«Before we get into the substance of the game tonight, obviously, we had a regrettable situation at halftime with the jersey around [Shannon's] celebration,» Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said after the game. «Obviously, a really regrettable moment. 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."

Last season, Shannon led Illinois to the Elite Eight for the first time in nearly 20 years. He averaged 23 points per game for coach Brad Underwood's squad and made The Associated Press All-America third team.

But it was a turbulent year for Shannon, who was suspended midseason after he was charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident in Kansas. He was eventually reinstated following a legal challenge from his lawyers and allowed to return to the program after missing multiple games.

At his trial last