Colorado State apologized Saturday after derogatory chants aimed at BYU were heard in Canvas Stadium before the Rams’ game against the No. 11 Cougars.
Colorado State fans in the pregame were heard chanting “F- the Mormons,” prompting the university to issue a statement to members of the media in the press box before the game ended.
“Colorado State University apologizes to BYU, its student-athletes and fans, and to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the chant directed at them during Saturday’s game.
“Mocking anyone’s faith has no place at CSU. It runs counter to our community’s values and to who we are.
BYU’s players, coaches, and fans deserved better. We are addressing this with our students.”
The incident came during the first meeting between BYU and Colorado State in 16 years. The programs were once conference rivals in the old WAC and Mountain West Conference.
It was also the latest in a string of similar incidents involving BYU in the Centennial State. Last year, Colorado apologized for derogatory chants toward BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Colorado State now joins Colorado and Cincinnati from last football season as schools that have dealt with similar chants aimed at the Cougars.
After the game, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake was asked what can be done to keep this from happening again.
“Listen, everyone’s human. I’m not 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,” Sitake said. “You can’t judge the entire fan base on a few.
That’s what we’re going to be focused on. The environment here was awesome, and yeah, the fans are excited about their team.
So, other than that, I’m not too worried about it.”
BYU and Colorado State are scheduled to meet again in three seasons, when the Rams travel to Provo in 2029 to finish the home-and-home series.
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