Raiola issues apology to Wisconsin band

Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola issued an apology to the University of Wisconsin marching band and will make a donation in the wake of his negative remarks to the Badgers.

“My interaction with the Wisconsin Marching Band was inappropriate," Raiola said in a statement. "I apologize to those I offended along with all of the members of Wisconsin’s Marching Band.

<p> “I also apologize to the Lions’ organization and my teammates. I understand the standards to which we should conduct ourselves, and my actions Sunday fell dramatically short of those standards.”

Lions team president Tom Lewand said the organization is glad that Raiola has apologized, adding that hes' "pleased that he has taken ownership of his actions and admitted those actions were wrong and unacceptable. As we said yesterday, his actions were not reflective of the standard of behavior that we expect from any player or any member of our organization. We are also pleased that he is supporting his apology with a significant donation to the Wisconsin Marching Band Fund. Due to Dominic’s sincere and appropriate response, there will be no additional disciplinary action by the team.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Aaron Wilson
Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post, his second stint at the Post. He has previously written for Pro Football Talk and FOX Sports-Scout. Entering his 13th year covering the Baltimore Ravens, he's a beat writer for The Baltimore Sun. Wilson has also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

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