To say the East Carolina University Marching Band struck a wrong chord with fans would be an understatement.

Furious North Carolina football fans booed the band after several members refused to play the National Anthem while others took a knee.

East Carolina’s blatant disrespect of the Star-Spangled Banner happened Oct. 1st at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Local reports indicate about a dozen members of the Marching Pirates disgraced themselves on the football field.

At halftime, outraged fans got to have their say.

The stadium was filled with booing as the band prepared to perform its halftime show.

The ECU Band was boo'ed loudly during halftime of today’s game. pic.twitter.com/iA2T21XDwd

— Pirate Radio (@pirateradio1250) October 1, 2016

“I am ashamed of this school for letting the band do this,” one irate reader posted on the university’s Facebook page. “Shame ECU, shame!”

“What are you teaching these kids?” one parent asked. “I believe the students have the right to protest but not on that field in uniform.”

And another reader offered this suggestion: “What if those of us who write checks to the university stop sending them as our way of using our voice?”

If the children have a First Amendment right to desecrate our national anthem, certainly the American taxpayers have rights to not fund their anti-American horseplay.

ECU Chancellor Cecil Staton released a statement defending the marching band’s disgraceful actions.

“While we acknowledge and understand the disappointment felt by many Pirate fans in response to the events at the beginning of today’s football game, we urge all Pirate students, supporters and participants to act with respect for each other’s views,” the chancellor wrote.

He also affirmed “the rights of our students, staff and faculty to express their personal views.”

Oh really?

So what would have happened if the marching band had formed the words “All Lives Matter” on the football field? Or “Make America Great Again”? Would that have been permissible?

It’s doubtful.

“Civil discourse is an East Carolina value and part of our ECU creed,” he wrote. “We are proud that recent campus conversations on difficult issues have been constructive, meaningful exchanges that helped grow new understanding among our campus community.”

What about disrespecting Old Glory and the national anthem and our brave military personnel? Is that part of ECU’s values and creed?

Kiernan Shanahan, a Raleigh attorney and member of the ECU board of trustees, told me he was shocked and appalled.

“The strong boos from the crowd when they realized what was happening certainly echoed the sentiment of the board,” Mr. Shanahan told me. “It was unfortunate and poor judgement for these few band members to disrespect our country, to take advantage of the uniforms they were wearing as ECU Pirate band members — to advance a personal agenda.”

It’s just too bad the chancellor’s statement did not reflect the outrage from most of the community.

“We foster and encourage free speech but that has to be tempered by time, place and circumstances,” Mr. Shanahan said. “It was not the right time, place and (it was) the incorrect manner for these students to articulate personal dissent. It reflected poorly on the band.”

I feel bad for the folks there in the Carolinas because their taxpayer-funded university has been infested with a bunch of left-wing educators spewing this nonsense.

Perhaps one of the grownups in charge could muster the courage to tell the marching band to take its anti-American propaganda and blow it out their woodwinds.

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UPDATE #1: ECU: Future Band Protests “Will Not Be Tolerated”

East Carolina University just had a “Come to Jesus” moment with a group of perpetually offended, self-entitled marching band members who disgraced America during last Saturday’s football game.

At least 19 members of the Marching Pirates either took a knee or refused to play during the playing of the National Anthem.

North Carolina fans reacted strongly, booing and heckling the band throughout the game. According to local news reports, the band was escorted from the field by security.

ECU Chancellor Cecil Station defended the students’ actions, calling it a part of “civil discourse.”

It was a tepid and cowardly response to a despicable act.

However, after a massive backlash from donors, parents and even students, the school’s music department has apologized and vowed to prevent future protests.

“We regret the actions taken by 19 members of the East Carolina University Marching Pirates on game day October 1st felt hurtful to many in our Pirate family and disrespectful to our country,” the directors of the band and the school of music and the dean of the College of Fine Arts wrote.

The directors said they met with the band and “have collectively reaffirmed their commitment to the unique privilege and responsibility that comes with wearing the uniform of the Marching Pirates.”

And then the directors threw down the baton.

“While we affirm the right of all our students to express their opinions, protest of this nature by the Marching Pirates will not be tolerated moving forward,‘ they wrote.

ECU’s Athletic Director also released a statement pointing out the band "does not report to Athletics.”

In other words, don’t heckle the football team.

“Our football program relies on the passion of our fan base and we will continue to proudly lead our team out of the tunnel with the American Flag for each and every game,” AD Jeff Compher said.

I suspect the only reason ECU has changed its tune on the marching band is because of the great patriots of America who called, emailed and canceled donations.

And seeing how this is a southern school, I’d bet a few of those kids got a telephone call from their momma and their daddy that involved phrases like “knock you upside your head with a cast iron skillet” and “drag you off that field in front of Jesus Himself” and “do it again, you’ll be paying your own damn tuition.”

Well done, patriots. You’ve helped put down ECU’s Great National Anthem Rebellion of 2016.

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UPDATE #2: Radio Station Yanks Football Broadcast over Anti-American Protest

Jeff Andrulonis was broadcasting on WFAY in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the day the twin towers fell — the day Muslim terrorists attacked our nation.

Jeff is the chairman of Colonial Media, a company that owns 17 radio stations in mostly small towns, like Fayetteville.

Not too long after the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, Jeff decided to begin a new tradition. He directed all of his radio stations to play the Star-Spangled Banner every day at noon.

It’s a heart-felt tradition that continues to this day.

A few days ago Jeff read my column about how several members of the East Carolina University Marching Band desecrated the National Anthem on Oct. 1st.

Some members refused to play while others took a knee of the football field. Outraged fans pelted the band with a chorus of boos. Security was summoned to escort the band out of the stadium.

The band’s director later apologized — but the taxpayer-funded university’s chancellor defended the students.

And that made Jeff angry — especially seeing how he broadcast the ECU football games on WFAY in Fayetteville.

“We are a small station in a small town and quite a few of my team members at WFAY are Army wives and several of them have husbands who are currently overseas,” he said.

Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg, known as one of the most military-friendly towns in the nation.

“It got me thinking about how local radio and local radio stations should be responsive to their local communities,” Jeff said.

So he decided the only proper response to the shameful behavior of the ECU Marching Band was to yank the upcoming football game broadcast.

And that’s exactly what he did.

“I thought it was the right thing to do — to stand up for the National Anthem and the American flag,” he told me. “I’m proud of our country and I’m proud of our soldiers — especially our soldiers from Fort Bragg.”

And that’s why WFAY is protesting the protest.

He said it’s time for the youngsters in the marching band to learn a very important life lesson.

“They’re college students and it’s about time they get an education on the concept that their actions have consequences,” he said. “And the consequence in this case is that the ECU Pirates will not be heard on ESPN Fayetteville this weekend.”

Jeff said he’s received calls of support from around the nation and also among his radio sponsors.

“So far, it has been unanimous,” he said. 'Every sponsor I’ve talked to agrees that last weekend’s spectacle at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium was shameful and a message needs to be sent.“

Jeff Andrulonis and his team at Colonial Media are red-blooded American patriots and I hope that you click here to let these fine folks know how much you appreciate their decision to stand up for the Armed Forces of these great United States.

And let’s hope other broadcasters across the fruited plain have the courage and patriotism to do the same thing.