Chancellor Donna Shalala says it was inexcusable and unacceptable for the University of Wisconsin-Madison women's crew to grab beers after a championship race Sunday.
"We have to be concerned about the image our athletes project," she said.An alcohol-abuse critic said the crew members behaved as though they were in a beer commercial after placing second in the national collegiate championships Sunday in Madison.
Axel Anderson said the team members, most of whom are under the legal drinking age, all grabbed cold bottles of beer while Shalala and Saunders were awarding them their medals.
"Every single crew member had a beer in her hand and when they pulled away to go back, they hoisted it," Anderson, director of the Dane County drunken driver program, said.
"Here are these champions rowing off with one hand on the oar and the other hoisting a beer," Anderson complained Thursday. "You couldn't have paid for a better beer commercial."
He said he was particularly upset because there were many children in the park where the awards ceremony was held for the national championships, which were co-sponsored by a Madison beer wholesale distributor.
Women's crew coach Sue Ela said the beer appeared "out of the blue," and was not a team tradition.