WVU President James P. Clements and Board of Governors Chairwoman Carolyn Long issued this statement following the WVU-U Conn game today (Oct. 24):

On behalf of the WVU family, we want to congratulate the U Conn team and coaches for a spirited and courageous game played under very difficult circumstances. We also want to thank our team and fans for their generous support of the Husky team.

The cheers when the opposing team took – and left – the field, the moment of silence, the pins, the armbands and the overwhelming show of respect throughout the game were fine emblems of the solidarity of the Mountaineer community.

Our fans, always passionate and loyal, wanted to win this game. But they understood that today was a tough and sad day for our opponents. So while our hearts were with the Mountaineers to win the game, they were also with our visitors, whose hearts were broken when cornerback Jasper Howard lost his life in such a tragic way last weekend.

-WVU-

dk10/24/09

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