The Big 12 fined Central Florida $100,000 for discriminatory chants directed at the BYU football team during the Knights' upset win over the Cougars in Week 8, with the conference updating its conduct policy with more strict penalties.
During UCF's 39-31 overtime win, people inside the Acrisure Bounce House could be heard chanting anti-Mormon chants, including "(expletive) the Mormons," something that has been frequently done to BYU. 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.
The league said UCF followed proper pregame protocols to combat the chants, as the public address announcer stated multiple times there was no tolerance
for disrespectful or profane chants and security was on hand for "removal of some individuals responsible for the conduct," but "discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12."
"The conference has issued UCF a $100,000 fine, which will be directed toward student education initiatives," the Big 12 said in a statement.
"After becoming aware of the conference’s decision, we will be reviewing our options," UCF said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
Big 12 updates discriminatory conduct policy
As a result, the updated its consequences for discriminatory conduct at athletic events, with harsher penalties. The new policy states:
- A confirmed incident during a game resulting in an automatic minimum $100,000 fine.
- A formal warning will follow the first incident, providing the institution an opportunity to immediately address the behavior and prevent further incidents.
- A second confirmed incident during the same game will result in an in-game competitive penalty (example is a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty in football or an unsportsmanlike two-shot technical foul in basketball), and may result in an additional $500,000 fine.
- Individuals ejected for discriminatory conduct will be prohibited from attending all athletic events for the remainder of the academic year and are subject to applicable university fan/student conduct policies.
BYU has been frequently been targeted with discriminatory chants
The stricter policy comes as BYU has been frequently target for discriminatory chants during road games. Colorado State apologized for a similar incident happening during its game in September, resulting in BYU coach Kalani Sitake addressing it.
"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."
Similarly, it has happened with Oregon, as well as other Big 12 schools in Arizona, Colorado and Cincinnati in 2025. In Colorado's case, the Big 12 announced a public reprimand and $50,000 fine of Colorado.
"The Big 12 remains committed to providing a respectful environment for student-athletes, coaches and fans," the league stated. "Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated, and the conference will continue working with its member institutions to prevent such behavior and ensure meaningful consequences when incidents occur."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Another team made discriminatory chants at BYU. Now, Big 12 is threatening more than fines
