Colorado State has issued an apology for in-game chants heard during the BYU Cougars' 41-23 win over the Rams in Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19.
CSU students during the game could be heard chanting, "(expletive) the Mormons." Apart from the derogatory nature of the chant, the use of the word "Mormons" is discouraged by The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints and is considered an incorrect substitute for the faith's name.
"Colorado State University apologizes to BYU, its student-athletes and fans, and to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints for the chant directed at them during Saturday's game," Colorado State said
in a statement that was distributed to members of the media in the press box.
"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 on Sept. 19 is just the latest in a string of apologies issued to BYU by opposing schools. Oregon in 2022 issued an apology for similar chants, as did Arizona men's basketball, Colorado football and Cincinnati football, each in 2025.
Kalani Sitake also addressed the chants in his post-game news conference, saying he knows "amazing people" at Colorado State and refuses to "judge the entire fan base on a few."
"Everyone's human and 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 positives," Sitake said. "You can't judge the entire fan base on a few, so that's what we're going to focus on. The environment here was awesome, the fans were excited about their team."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado State apologizes for chants vs BYU: 'Mocking anyone's faith has no place at CSU'
