Big 12 imposes $100,000 fine on UCF after anti-Mormon chants
The conference directed the penalty toward student education efforts and announced a new policy that mandates automatic fines for future discriminatory incidents.
By Giulia Marshall ·
The Big 12 Conference levied a $100,000 fine against the University of Central Florida for fan conduct during a football game against BYU.
League officials said the penalty will fund student education initiatives. The sanction marks the most recent financial penalty against a conference member for targeting BYU, the flagship institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with derogatory chants.
Video posted on social media showed UCF supporters chanting "(expletive) the Mormons" before the Saturday kickoff. University security removed several fans from the venue. UCF won the match in overtime.
Adam Widman, the UCF athletics spokesman, said the department would review its options after learning of the decision. He made the statement in an email sent on Wednesday night.
The league announced a new conference-wide policy on Wednesday that sets escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct. Officials stated that such behavior has no place in the Big 12.
Under the new rules, a first confirmed incident triggers a warning and an automatic minimum fine of $100,000. If a second incident occurs during the same game, the school faces an in-game penalty. In football, this would be a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. In basketball, it would be a two-shot technical foul. The league may also impose a $500,000 fine for severe cases.
Fans ejected for this behavior will be banned from attending athletic events for the remainder of the academic year. They remain subject to their university's existing fan or student conduct policies. The Big 12 previously fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February for similar chants in a men's basketball game. Colorado received a $50,000 fine last year for football fan conduct. Colorado State apologized in September after fans targeted BYU. Incidents at Arizona and Cincinnati earlier this year did not result in fines.
