The University of Central Florida in Orlando was issued a $100,000 fine by the Big 12 athletic conference Wednesday over “discriminatory” chants performed by students at the UCF Knights football game last Saturday against Brigham Young University.
According to the New York Times, students last Saturday reportedly yelled chants of “Fuck the Mormons!” during the game, in reference to BYU’s connection to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU, a private research university in Utah, was founded by the LDS Church, which prefers the term “LDS” to Mormon.
The unruly students at UCF Knights’ home turf were warned multiple times by the public address announcer to knock it off, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
One of their rounds of chants kicked off as an injured BYU player was carried off the field, according to video and audio footage shared to social media. UCF Security eventually removed the students responsible for promoting the anti-LDS chants.
The $100K fine issued by the athletic conference will be directed toward “student education initiatives,” the Big 12 shared in a statement.
“While the Conference recognizes the pregame protocols followed by UCF and immediate actions taken during the game, including removal of some individuals responsible for the conduct, discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12,” the statement reads.
In addition to the $100K fine, the Big 12 also announced its intent to change its conference-wide policy on discriminatory conduct at athletic events, adding escalating consequences for repeat incidents. Headquartered in Texas, the Big 12 is made up of 16 universities across 10 states and sponsors 25 sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Under its new policy, a “confirmed first incident” of discriminatory conduct during a game will result in an automatic minimum $100,000 fine and a formal warning. A second confirmed incident during the same game will result in an in-game competitive penalty. It “may” also result in an additional fine of $500,000.
Individuals who are removed from a game for discriminatory conduct will also be banned from attending all athletic events for the remainder of the academic year. They are also subject to any additional, applicable university fan or student conduct policies.
The Big 12 didn’t explicitly define “discriminatory conduct” in its statement about the incident or its new policy. UCF told multiple media outlets in its own response to the $100,000 fine that, after being made aware of the conference’s decision, “we will be reviewing our options.”
According to the Times, this isn’t the first time BYU has been targeted by anti-LDS chants at games — nor the first time universities have faced consequences for it.
Oklahoma State was fined $50,000 by the Big 12 over similar anti-LDS chants during a basketball game in February. The University of Colorado was also fined $50,000 last year after fans at a game against BYU similarly chastised and yelled anti-Mormon slurs.
Nearly all of BYU’s student body (98 percent) identify as followers of the LDS Church, as does about 2 percent of the total U.S. population, according to Pew Research Center.
