A group of college footballers have sparked outrage by dressing in Ku Klux Klan robes in a parody of the Will Smith movie Bad Boys II. About 20 members of the team, at Wheaton College near Chicago, Illinois, performed the 'skit' wearing Klan-style white hoods and carrying Confederate flags. The off-season team-building exercise was intended as a 'satirical parody' of the 2003 action comedy Bad Boys II, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, whose characters poke fun at the KKK. Footballers performed a 'skit' wearing Klan-style white hoods during a team-building exercise at Wheaton College (pictured) near Chicago . The skit, intended as a parody of a scene from the Will Smith movie Bad Boys II (pictured), has sparked outrage on campus . But the stunt has provoked anger on the campus while Philip Ryken, the evangelical Christian college's president, has sent an email to all students and staff. The incident happened on February 28 in a campus gym and involved some of the team's black players. College bosses have acknowledged the skit was 'racially insensitive'. In Bad Boys II, the police detectives played by Smith and Lawrence burst out of white robes they are wearing as part of a raid on a Ku Klux Klan meeting. According to the Chicago Tribune, team Captain Josh Aldrin, who is African-American, took responsibility for the skit and, in a letter to students, admitted 'we made a mistake.' The incident happened on February 28 in a campus gym and involved some of the team's black players . In Bad Boys II, the police detectives played by Smith and Martin Lawrence (pictured) burst out of white robes they are wearing as part of a raid on a Ku Klux Klan meeting . He wrote: 'As a black male, a team captain, and the leader of the group that performed the skit, I should have understood that (the) KKK and Confederate symbols are not funny in any context. 'We hope the campus community will forgive us for our actions.' Mr Ryken was made aware of the incident shortly after it happened and held a meeting with some of those involved at 1am the next morning. On Sunday, more than 700 students gathered in the College's Pierce Chapel to pray for 'campus-wide healing'. In a statement posted on its website, the college said: 'The team captain acknowledged his poor judgment in failing to consider the inherently hurtful meanings these symbols carry, though it was clear the skit was not motivated by racial hostility. 'The coaches accepted responsibility for their failure to provide appropriate guidance. 'All recognized that, regardless of the group's intent, the skit was inappropriate, and apologized in an e-mail to the campus community sent out around noon on Sunday.' Footage was taken of the event - but the images were 'inherently hurtful and shocking' and would not be disseminated, the college said. The statement added: 'Wheaton College stands resolutely against racial insensitivity, including the use of symbols that convey hatred against African Americans and other ethnic minorities. 'The College is committed to responding promptly and appropriately to incidents that may violate our Community Covenant, taking the time to consider the total facts of each situation and seeking redemption, with respect for the dignity of each person.'
Players at Wheaton College near Chicago wore KKK hoods as part of 'skit'
About 20 footballers took part in a 'satirical parody' of 2003's Bad Boys II . Event was part of a team-building exercise at evangelical Christian college . Movie scene involves Will Smith and Martin Lawrence raiding KKK meeting . College bosses have acknowledged that the skit was 'racially insensitive'