Colorado State Apologizes After Fans Taunt BYU With Anti-Mormon Chants

Colorado State University has issued an apology after fans at Canvas Stadium directed profane and derogatory chants at Brigham Young University (BYU) during Saturday's football game. The chants, reportedly including "f*** the Mormons," occurred during BYU's 41-23 victory.

"Colorado State 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," the university stated. "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."

This incident is the second consecutive year BYU has been subjected to similar chants from opposing fans. Last season, students at the University of Colorado directed comparable taunts at BYU during a game in Boulder. Following that event, Colorado coach Deion Sanders issued an apology, while the university condemned the behavior.

The Big 12 Conference, of which BYU is a member, fined the University of Colorado $50,000 after the 2025 incident, with conference commissioner Brett Yormark stating, "Hateful and discriminatory language has no home in the Big 12 Conference." Colorado State is a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake downplayed the impact of the chants, suggesting they came from a small minority of fans. "I think the chants [are] mostly a minority of people and fans," Sitake said. "There's some amazing fans here in Fort Collins, so I'm not too worried about that. The guys are motivated to play football, no matter what."

BYU, a prominent institution owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a history of facing such chants. A statement released by BYU in 2025 addressed the issue, emphasizing that disparaging someone's religion crosses a line and that such behavior is counterproductive to athletics fostering positive connections.

"After these kinds of chants happen, we're always thankful for an apology from a university leader or an athletic director, and we hope that productive conversations can happen on those campuses," the BYU statement read. "We hope that opposing fan bases can understand that when they are disparaging The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and/or its members, they aren't just disparaging BYU."

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, a BYU graduate, also voiced his disapproval on social media, noting the increasing frequency of these chants and the general lack of concern from host schools. BYU's basketball team also faced similar chants during a game against Providence College in 2024.