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 summer, Shannon was found not guilty of rape and aggravated sexual assault. The Minnesota Timberwolves made Shannon the 27th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He is averaging 3.1 points in 16 games this season.
Before Saturday’s game, Shannon said he was surprised Illinois would retire his jersey, because he played three years at Texas Tech before he transferred for the final two years of collegiate career.
“I was shocked because I was only here for two years,” he told local media before the ceremony. “I was just happy. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to get my jersey up there.”
Whitman said the school invested a lot of energy to plan Saturday’s retirement ceremony, which made the gaffe even more embarrassing and “inexcusable.”
“We did get the jersey right-sided and have a chance to get [Shannon] with [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.
“I had some spirited conversations during the second half [so] that the right people knew the level of disappointment and frustration we felt in that moment. Hopefully, in the lens of history, that won’t do anything to diminish, of course, what [Shannon] accomplished here and what this evening was meant to be for him and for the legacy of Illinois basketball.”
Following his team’s loss to Michigan State, which gave Tom Izzo the record for most wins in Big Ten history over former Indiana coach Bob Knight, Underwood got emotional as he talked about Shannon.
He said the adversity Shannon faced is a part of a legacy that helped him find “excellence.”
“To have a jersey that will hang — and I know how important it is to the fans here and I know 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.
