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New England Patriots Apologize For 'Regrettable Tweet'

BOSTON (CBS) – The New England Patriots have apologized after a social media celebration went horribly wrong.

The Pats wanted to express their gratitude to their Twitter followers Thursday with a simple message:

"Thanks for helping us become the first NFL team with 1 million followers!"

Fans who re-tweeted the post would get an automated personalized thank you message in reply, complete with a photo showing their twitter handle as the name on the back of a Patriots jersey.

But someone with an account called "@IHATE(racial slur)" re-tweeted the post. The hateful twitter handle ended up on the back of the jersey and the photo quickly spread online.

Patriots Social Media Mistake
The tweet was sent by an automated program, and later deleted by the Patriots. (Image: Twitter)

The Patriots deleted the tweet and issued this apology:

The apology had been re-tweeted more than 3,700 times by Friday morning.

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