Patriots apologize after thanking racist tweeter

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - The New England Patriots are apologizing after sending out a tweet to thank a "fan" who used a racist Twitter handle.

The team was holding a social media promotion to thank fans for helping them became the first NFL team with one millions Twitter followers.

The team sent out thousands of tweets on Thursday night in thanks, which included a "digital custom jersey," but one of those images showed a Patriots jersey with the racist Twitter handle on the back.

The tweet was quickly deleted and the team issued an apology that read: "We apologize for the regrettable tweet that went out from our account. Our filtering system failed and we will be more vigilant in the future."

A team spokesman did not immediately return a call Friday morning.

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