Stuck within a beautiful game late Saturday night was an ugly scene that saw BYU offensive lineman Uliu Lapuaho punch Boise State safety Chaceller James in the groin as the two wrestled for a loose ball.
Sure, it's a six-second clip, and maybe it doesn't tell the entire story. But how much backstory is really necessary when a player fires a punch at another player?
On Monday, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said Lapuaho's discipline will be handled internally and that will be that. He'll play Saturday against UCLA. "Uliu has had team discipline. The issue is not going to require missing any games," Mendenhall said. "We have a very good policy in place for personal fouls, so that's what he's faced up to. He made a mistake. He knows it, I know it, I think the world knows it. The team certainly addressed it and planned to move forward, and I'm comfortable with what has happened."
Actually, Bronco, Lapuaho should have been ejected on Saturday, and internal discipline doesn't go far enough here. Not when a player crosses a line as basic as that, and especially not when the program is just two games removed from one of the ugliest brawls in college football history. Remember, this is the third-most penalized program in college football over the past two seasons. And now its head coach is passing on a chance to send a firm and necessary message.
We threw the question out to Mendenhall's peers on Twitter. Here's a sampling of the response we received:
Kid would not only be out for a minimum of 1 game, but he would also be making a phone call to apologize. Not that it really matters to me, because I think no matter who the school is you represent, but the fact that it is connected to a religious school, puts a negative look for the Mormon faith.
Have to set a precedent. Handle internally in conjunction with a public apology AND suspension.
Bad look for Bronco. He has to come out stronger than that. Program looks like it is headed in the bad direction. No accountability.
In talking about it among our staff, the feeling was that Lapuaho needed to apologize to his team (which may or may not have already happened), apologize to James (which, from the sounds of it, has not) and sit at least a half (which will not happen).
BYU won a huge game in electrifying fashion, but two days later the national discussion isn't about another Tanner Mangum Hail Mary, but another player in a BYU uniform committing an act of unwarranted violence on a football field. Monday would have been a great opportunity for Mendenhall to assure his team, his administration and his fan base that won't happen again.