It was a bizarre non-apology.

In an email to faculty, staff and students, Ricardo Azziz claimed partial responsibility for the admissions view book featuring Augusta State University athletes minus the Augusta State moniker. But instead of apologizing to the university and the greater community, Azziz simply made note of the mistake with the bolded statement, “We messed up.”

You don’t have to tell us you and your team made a mistake, Azziz. We’ve pointed that out since the beginning. What needs to be heard right now is this “isolated incident” was just that, and we need to hear you apologize for being insensitive to the history of one of the state’s oldest and most storied universities.

Let’s face it, we couldn’t care less for the history of a university that is less than a year old, especially for one that has undergone a merger the way Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences University has.

This process has been long and grueling, no doubt. But when the student body has put up with the smoke and mirrors for as long as we have, attempts to erase the history of our dedicated athletes constitute the final straw.

But we’ve got another bone to pick with you, Azziz. In your letter, you discredited the role of the “media” with the statement, “the degree of editorial irresponsibility exhibited by a few members of the media reduces the resulting discussion about what is inarguably one of the paramount ventures for the future of our community and for Georgia to the lowest possible levels.”

Clearly, you didn’t read our editorial in the Feb. 26 issue of The Bell Ringer, where we addressed the general misuse of the word “media.” If you did, we’re sure you could have been a bit more specific about which members of the media you are referring to.

You seem to have the wrong impression of what the role of “media” is.

As a newspaper, we are happy to celebrate the successes of our community as they happen. We are equally happy to uncover the misdoings of the people we put in to public positions.

We are protectors of the community, not inhibitors. We give a voice to the voiceless. We seek the truth and report it.

While that may not be popular with you, to some, we are the white knights of the world; not much gets past us.

So tell us, Azziz, what would have happened if no attention was paid to the misrepresentation of Augusta State’s past athletes? Would it have been a success on your part? You’re fighting something that is bigger than yourself right now.