- Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a BYU graduate, criticized the chants and what he called ‘hours of religious slurs and bigotry.’
- Colorado coach Deion Sanders stated he was unaware of the chants during the game.
- University officials said the behavior does not reflect campus values and that those involved would be held accountable.
BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Colorado has issued a statement condemning anti-Mormon chants from the stands at a football game Saturday night between Colorado and BYU.
Some fans at Folsom Field chanted “(Expletive) BYU” and “(Expletive) the Mormons” at the game, which BYU won, 24-21. The chants caught the attention of Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, a BYU graduate.
“I’m not sure why, but “F the Mormons” chants have become far too common at BYU’s away games,” Lee wrote from his personal account on social media site X. “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.”
BYU is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Coach Deion Sanders said he was unaware of chants
A Utah reporter asked Colorado coach Deion Sanders about the chants from fans after the game, but Sanders said he wasn’t aware of it and was focused on his team’s performance.
‘I don’t know anything about no chants,’ Sanders said.
Colorado chancellor Justin Schwartz and athletic director Rick George issued a statement late Sunday.
“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,” the statement said. “Such behavior is deeply disappointing and does not reflect the values of respect, inclusion and integrity we expect of our campus community.”
The statement also said “those found to have engaged in conduct that is not consistent with our values are held accountable.”
“We thank the majority of our fans who continue to support our teams with enthusiasm and respect,” the statement said. ‘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.”
Both schools are now members of the Big 12 Conference but hadn’t played each other in Boulder since 1981.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com