The Big 12 on Tuesday issued a $50,000 fine and a public reprimand of Colorado following reports of CU students chanting "F--- the Mormons" during BYU's visit to Folsom Field on Saturday night.
“Hateful and discriminatory language has no home in the Big 12 Conference. While we appreciate Colorado apologizing for the chants that occurred in the stands during Saturday's game, the Big 12 maintains zero tolerance for such behavior," commissioner Brett Yormark said.
A number of student sections have conducted anti-Mormon chants during visits from BYU, but Saturday's edition seems to have reached a tipping point following a tweet from Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).
“I’m not sure why, but 'F the Mormons' chants have become far too common at BYU’s away games,” Lee tweeted on Sunday. He is a BYU graduate. “Funny thing — the host schools generally don’t seem to be the least bit concerned about it, even though all of them have many Latter-day Saints enrolled as students. And in the case of last night’s game at the University of Colorado, it was so much more — meaning much worse — than a chant. It was hours upon hours of religious slurs and bigotry.”
For its part, Colorado apologized for the chants and pledged to hold those conducting the chants accountable.
“The University of Colorado Boulder strongly condemns the use of expletives and religious slurs by individuals in the stands during the recent football game against BYU. Such behavior is deeply disappointing and does not reflect the values of respect, inclusion and integrity we expect of our campus community," the statement read, jointly attributed to CU chancellor Justin Schwartz and athletics director Rick George.
“We thank the majority of our fans who continue to support our teams with enthusiasm and respect. Together, we can ensure that CU Boulder events remain a source of pride and unity for our community and that visitors to our campus have a positive experience.”
Saturday night's visit was BYU's first trip to Boulder since 1981; the 23rd-ranked Cougars won the game, 24-21. BYU has four more road trips ahead this season -- a trip to Arizona on Oct. 11, and then games at No. 14 Iowa State and No. 11 Texas Tech. Those two will be highly intense affairs, with likely Big 12 Championship berths on the line. BYU closes its road schedule at Cincinnati on Nov. 22.