Colorado State University issued an apology for the anti-Latter-day Saint chants aimed at BYU during the Cougars’ 41-23 win over the Rams on Saturday in Fort Collins.
“Mocking anyone’s faith has no place at CSU,” the statement said. “It runs counter to our community’s values and to who we are. BYU’s players, coaches and fans deserved better. We are addressing the issue with our students.”
BYU is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The chants heard Saturday are the latest in a series of similar incidents BYU has encountered on the road.
For the past few years, BYU men’s basketball and football teams have been subjected to chants of “F--- the Mormons.”
The Big 12 has stepped in to try to stop the chants.
Oklahoma State was fined $50,000 last February after the Cowboys defeated the Cougars in men’s basketball in Stillwater, and Colorado was fined $50,000 after a BYU win in Boulder last September.
As for Saturday’s incident, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said he wasn’t going to “dwell on that.”
“I know amazing people that are Colorado State fans and alumni, and I’m just going to focus on the beautiful people that are positive,” he said. “You can’t judge the entire fan base on a few, so that’s what we’re going to focus on. I mean, the environment here was awesome, and the fans are excited about the team. So, other than that, I’m not too worried about it.”
Jason Batacao