The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has banned University of Illinois mascot Chief Illiniwek, but will continue to allow the use of the school's "Fighting Illini" nickname, the Associated Press reports. The mascot ban falls under the NCAA's earlier decision to ban all "hostile and offensive" mascots from NCAA tournament play, but the prohibition now extends to home sporting events as well, according to the AP. The fictitious Chief Illiniwek, invented by the university in 1926, has traditionally been played by a student wearing a buckskin outfit and headdress. The controversial mascot danced and performed at halftime of major home sporting events. The NCAA declared the "Fighting Illini" nickname to be acceptable because it reputedly derives from the name of the state, rather than a tribe.
