Sheriff says guard’s tattoo is not a Nazi reference

WEST BOYLSTON, Mass. – Massachusetts officials say a jail guard’s tattoo is a reference to his college football playing days and is not a Nazi symbol.

A partial picture of the tattoo, with the number 88, went viral after a visitor posted it Wednesday on social media and said it was a reference to Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler.

White supremacist groups have used the number because “H” is the eighth letter in the alphabet and 88 can be used as shorthand for “Heil Hitler.”

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Superintendent William Tuttle says the full tattoo shows the seal of Norwich University in Vermont above the number, which the corrections officer wore while playing football for that school.

Tuttle says the guard has agreed to wear sleeves long enough to cover the tattoo to prevent any future misunderstandings.