North Carolina players caused extensive damage to Duke's visiting locker room at Wallace Wade Stadium by spray painting after their 45-20 win over the Blue Devils last week.

Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora called to apologize to Duke coach David Cutcliffe the day after Thursday's game, while North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham apologized to Duke counterpart Kevin White.

As first reported in the (Durham) Herald-Sun, North Carolina will pay for the thousands of dollars in damage to the walls and carpet in the locker room, located inside Duke's practice facility.

After North Carolina won -- its first triumph in the heated rivalry since 2011 -- players gathered on the field to spray paint the Victory Bell trophy Carolina blue, as is customary. But as they took the bell into the locker room, they continued to spray paint, leaving the damage.

Fedora and Cunningham issued a joint statement through the school: "We would like to apologize to the Duke Football program and Duke University for some inappropriate actions after last Thursday night's game in Durham. Our team took the celebration too far when they were painting the bell, resulting in damage to some of the facilities at Duke. We take full responsibility for our actions and will be paying for all costs associated with the cleanup.

"We view this as a rivalry built on mutual respect and we expect our players to behave better in a way that is more befitting of the rivalry."