Kansas State University’s president said Friday the campaign of U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts declined a request to cease broadcasting a television commercial containing football coach Bill Snyder’s endorsement of the Republican candidate for re-election.

The senator’s campaign, however, disputed K-State’s contention that an appeal to pull the ad was made.

The Daily Kos reported K-State President Kirk Schulz sent an email memorandum to Athletics Director John Currie as well as faculty, staff and student leaders that said Snyder had agreed to be filmed touting Roberts’ candidacy, but didn’t believe the footage would be released publicly.

Roberts is running against independent Senate candidate Greg Orman, who has maintained a narrow lead in polling.

In the memo, Schulz said Currie and another university official approached Snyder about the ad after it started airing Thursday. The president’s email said Snyder indicated he was "unaware it was going to be used in such a fashion and was apologetic for the resulting issues."

Schulz said Sue Peterson, the university’s director of government relations, was directed to ask Roberts’ campaign to withdraw the ad.

"They declined to honor our request," Schulz’s memo said.

Corry Bliss, spokesman for the Roberts’ campaign, issued a statement Friday night that said timing of the memo leak was peculiar considering the ad had been on the air for two days.

"Unfortunately," Bliss said, "we can't speak to the content of the email because contrary to its claim we haven’t been contacted by the university."

He also said: "We do know that, unlike Greg Orman, who tries to hide his friendship with liberal billionaires like George Soros, Pat Roberts is proud to have the support of his friends like Bill Snyder, Bob Dole, Mitt Romney and many others."

Manhattan resident Larry Weigel, an executive director of the Kansas State University Alumni Association in the 1970s and now a member of the group Republicans for Kansas Values, said in a statement K-State supporters should advise the Roberts’ campaign to recall the Snyder ad.

"I encourage all K-Staters to contact Mr. Roberts, even if you support him, and remind him of the potential damage he is causing to our university by not complying with President Schulz’ request to stop showing the video," Weigel said. "By not complying with a university policy, Mr. Roberts will continue to disenfranchise Kansas State alumni for his own personal gain, which is grossly unfair to his alma mater."

On Friday, Schulz issued an advisory by Twitter that echoed the memorandum’s declaration that Kansas State "does not endorse any particular candidate for elected office." The university issued public reminders to employees about political activity rules months ahead of the Tuesday election, Schulz said.

"None of us were aware of the video in advance, and we responded as quickly as possible," Schulz said in the memo. "The release received widespread media coverage on Thursday, but the news cycle seems to have run its course. We are treating this incident as an internal matter."

Recipients of the email from Schulz were David Rintoul, president of the Faculty Senate, Kerry Jennings, president of University Support Staff, Reagan Kays, the student body president, and Currie.

Schulz urged those individuals to "feel free to share this with your respective leadership teams."

It’s not clear whether Snyder violated state law, university policy or provisions of his contract by making use of public resources while participating in the campaign ad. Video in the ad was shot on Kansas State’s campus.

The statewide spot featuring Snyder shows him responding to a question about who he would vote for in the U.S. Senate race.

"My good friend Pat Roberts, of course," Snyder says. "He is as good as it gets for the state of Kansas."

In a news release announcing the broadcast of the new ad, Roberts said it was an honor to have Snyder’s backing.

"Coach Snyder has been a good friend of mine for years, and he knows my track record in our state," said Roberts, who frequently attends Wildcat football games. "He also knows a vote for me on November 4 will help secure a bright future for Kansas and the nation."

On Facebook, the Roberts campaign posted a link that revealed "Coach Bill Snyder trusts Pat Roberts to be our voice and stand up against Barack Obama."