Cincinnati Athletic Director Issues Apology Following Derogatory Chants

After the Cincinnati Bearcats faced the BYU Cougars on Saturday, the school’s athletic director offered an apology. During the match, fans were heard chanting derogatory remarks towards the BYU players.

The Cougars won the game, finishing 26-14, but some fans in the stands took it upon themselves to chant, “You mormons.” This chant is notable, especially since BYU is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is based in Provo, Utah.

“What happened with the offensive and derogatory language at the game is not acceptable and doesn’t align with our principles,” said Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham via social media. He emphasized the commitment to ensuring that every team and their fans are treated with respect at Nippert Stadium.

This incident follows a recent event where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided a significant donation of 27,000 pounds of food to a food pantry at the University of Cincinnati. This pantry supports students and faculty facing food insecurity.

Chants directed at BYU players have been seen throughout this season and in previous years. For instance, in September 2022, a high school freshman had to leave a game early due to such chants during an Oregon-Ducks and Cougars matchup. Additionally, just this season, fans of the Colorado Buffaloes were noted for similar comments during a game, prompting an apology from their coach, Deion Sanders, prior to the school being fined $50,000 by the Big 12 Conference.

As for Cincinnati, it’s still uncertain if they’ll face any penalties for the fans’ behavior.

At the time of the game, BYU was ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, as well as in the College Football Playoff Committee rankings.