MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Greg Robinson had company during his Sunday press conference at the Iocolano-Petty Football Complex following Syracuse’s 41-17 loss to West Virginia on Saturday.

ESPN cameras caught quarterback Perry Patterson making an obscene gesture at West Virginia fans during Saturday’s game. Before Robinson spoke Sunday, the senior addressed the media and apologized for his actions.

‘I’d like to apologize to Syracuse University and fans and everybody who watched the game on Saturday,’ Patterson said. ‘I made an out-of-character gesture to the fans and I let them get to me. It’s not what represents Syracuse. It’s not what Coach is trying to build in this program. It was completely out of character.

‘I was embarrassed. I felt bad about it. I immediately called (West Virginia) coach (Rich) Rodriguez and apologized to him. I’d like to apologize to all the fans out there and everybody who roots for the Syracuse program.’

But this column isn’t about the quarterback. It’s about you, the fan.

I hope people don’t dwell on it the rest of the season.

When Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer gave the hometown crowd the one-finger salute, it was all anyone talked about for the weeks following the game in Dec. 2004.

Sure, Patterson made a mistake.

He should’ve taken whatever the drunken fans were saying to him and ignored it like all the other insults he’s surely endured in three years traveling on the road as a college football quarterback.

He should’ve realized his status as a public figure meant his action would become a public story.

He should’ve thought about the poor influence he sent to the rest of his teammates and potential Syracuse recruits watching on TV.

But despite all that, it’s not a huge deal.

We all lose control of our emotions at times, and Patterson’s happened to get the best of him at that moment Saturday.

And not to give an excuse, but what was said probably deserved Patterson’s response. Some started tailgating at 4 a.m. and probably don’t even remember calling the Syracuse quarterback out.

Regardless, this doesn’t jeopardize Patterson’s status as a team leader. It’s an isolated incident.

Given the public clips, Patterson and Robinson had to address the media Sunday. But I’m glad Robinson already put the situation behind him.

‘Perry’s very embarrassed,’ Robinson said. ‘He knows his actions were unbecoming of a leader of our football program or anybody in our football program. He knows that.

‘He also knows he’s got to maintain his poise. He can’t let fans take him out of his game. It’s a good example of maintaining your focus at all times. I know he’s sorry. He immediately came to me after the game and talked to me about it.

‘He was there with his mother and grandmother and I know he was embarrassed about that, as well as his young brother watching. He talked to the team today, so I think it’s something that’s behind him and we move on.’

The media probably won’t either, for better or worse. It’s our job to report such incidents and ask the tough questions about them. Fair enough.

But hopefully Patterson only has to deal with questions and articles about it this week. After that, it shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Quotes like the following are what we should be reading.

‘Obviously I did a better job of spreading the ball around last week.’ Patterson said following Saturday’s game. ‘I didn’t do a good job of it this week. And that’s what we needed, especially against a team like West Virginia.’

While he played a poor game Saturday – he finished 9-of-21 for 146 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions – he’s easily had the best season of his career in 2006. He’s made the offense respectable once again with an outstanding 9:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Since this is the first time Patterson displayed poor behavior during a game, the talk should return to football shortly.

Nothing excuses what he did, and it shouldn’t be completely forgotten. But he apologized. It shouldn’t be a defining moment in his career. He doesn’t need to be reminded about it the rest of the season.