Illinois sports information director Kent Brown confirmed to Illini Inquirer publisher Jeremy Werner that the athletics department has retired the "War Chant" song during athletics events.

#illini SID Kent Brown confirms "War Chant" has been retired. — Jeremy Werner (@JWernerScout) August 25, 2017

This has been discussed for several UI administrations. It has slowly been phased out during gameday. — Jeremy Werner (@JWernerScout) August 25, 2017

UI didn't feel it provided gameday excitement it wanted, but it also "wants to be as inclusive as possible." — Jeremy Werner (@JWernerScout) August 25, 2017