The public relations team behind a "Sleepy Hollow" promotion fired off a series of apologies after declaring Sept. 2 "National Beheading Day," the same day that American journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded by ISIS.
According to TV Guide, an email was sent to journalists Tuesday afternoon to promote the DVD release of "Sleepy Hollow" Season 1, but the message landed in mail boxes a few hours after news broke that Sotloff had been killed.
"Heads will roll as sleepyheads celebrate Headless Day today, September 2. On this National Beheading Day, viewers everywhere can share in the fun as fans prepare for the release of 'Sleepy Hollow' season One on Digital HD now and arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 16," the email read, according to TV Guide.
The email also encouraged fans to use the Twitter hashtag, #HeadlessDay. An hour after the email was sent, Think Jam, the firm behind the promotion, sent out an apology email.
"We apologize for the unfortunate timing of our 'Sleepy Hollow' Headless Day announcement," the apology read. "The tragic news of Steven Sotloff's death hit the web as the email was being sent. Our deepest sympathies are with him and his family, and we don't take the news lightly. Had we known this information prior, we would have never released the alert and realize it's in poor taste."
According to Deadline, Twentieth Century Fox also issued a statement and apologized for the email.
"Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment recognizes and apologizes for today's promotion for the Season One DVD release of 'Sleepy Hollow,'" the email said. "We regret the unfortunate timing of our announcement and our deepest sympathies go out to the families of all involved."
Earlier Wednesday (Sept. 3), the White House confirmed the authenticity of the video released by the Islamic State extremist group (ISIS) that shows the beheading of Sotloff. Two weeks ago, the group released another video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley.
