Photo: Getty Images
Former Heisman Trophy winner and longtime ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard made an unfortunate lapse on social media by referencing his alma matter in response to a tribute to the people of Ukraine.
Howard's longtime former College Gameday co-host Chris Fowler shared a photo on his verified Twitter account Friday (March 4) showing a bridge lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag amid the ongoing invasion by Russia of the neighboring Eastern European country.
Howard tweeted "Go Blue!" in response to the photo Saturday (March 5) morning, referencing the expression popularized by the University of Michigan, whose colors are maize (a specific tone of yellow named for the cereal sharing its name) and blue, similarly to those of the Ukrainian flag.
Numerous Twitter users screengrabbed the interaction Saturday before Howard eventually deleted his response.
Several users tweeted criticism and joked at the expense of Howard's negligence given the seriousness of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has been the biggest global news story since Russia launched its invasion on February 24.
More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion of the neighboring country was launched 10 days ago, the United Nations confirmed Thursday (March 3) via NBC News.
Ukrainian residents have most commonly fled to Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, amid other European nations, during the ongoing invasion by neighboring Russia, while a sizable number have even moved into the Russian Federation amid the attacks, according to Mantoo.
Last Saturday (February 26), a senior U.S. Defense Department official told reporters that Ukraine's resistance is stiffer than expected and Russians are increasingly frustrated by their lack of progress, specifically in the the capital city of Kyiv and Kharkiv.
At least 25 civilians and 137 soldiers were reportedly killed, while hundreds more were injured in Ukraine on the first day of Russia's invasion.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine received reports of at least 25 civilians killed and more than 100 injured in connection to "shelling and air strikes" in a statement obtained by NBC News on February 25.
"This is more than the total number of civilian casualties recorded by the U.N. Human Rights Office on both sides of the contact line for the whole of 2021," the statement read, noting that 25 people were killed and 85 injured in 2021.
The UN human rights office confirmed 114 of the 127 civilian casualties took place in Government-controlled areas such as the Donetsk, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Luhansk regions.
"Because of the security situation, civilian casualties in Government-controlled territory are likely to be under-reported, and real figures, therefore, could be higher," the office said via NBC News.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at least 137 soldiers were killed and 316 were injured during the first day of the invasion, according to preliminary figures, CNN reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country would conduct military operations in Eastern Ukraine during an NBC News translation of a speech addressing the Russian population prior to sunrise on February 24 in Moscow.
The announcement served as the final action ahead of an attack by Putin and the Russian military, which the U.S. and European allies to the neighboring Ukraine have attempted to prevent from taking place through diplomatic discussions.
A Ukraine interior minister confirmed to NBC News via text message that "cruise and ballistic missile strikes" were already underway shortly after Putin's announcement.
NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin said explosions could be heard from her live shot in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, at 6:00 a.m. local time.
More than 1,000 protesters were reportedly arrested during anti-war protests throughout Russia amid President Putin's announcement to conduct military operations and ensuing attack on Ukraine, BNO News reported.