Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) has called out the University of Oregon after an unsavory chant was directed at the BYU Cougars during a football game on Saturday.
Video surfaced of a section of Ducks fans in Autzen Stadium shouting “F–k the Mormons” during Oregon’s 41-20 win over BYU, which prompted Cox to call out what he deemed was “religious bigotry” (BYU is a Mormon school).
Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon. https://t.co/l8BdsSJWu2
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) September 18, 2022
Now obviously, this could have just been a small handful of classless students that were looking for attention, but its still not a good look for a school that wants to be a “welcoming, supportive and respectful community for people diverse in culture, identity, thought, perspective, and interests.” You certainly can’t achieve that if you’re cursing a group of religious people.
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This isn’t the first time that BYU has faced this kind of taunt before. During their 35-31 win over the USC last year, Trojan fans rained down a similar cheer at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Thankfully, Oregon apologized for the idiotic actions of its students, and Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) retweeted the university’s statement, saying the school “must do better.”
In Oregon, we strive to be a welcoming, inclusive state to all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or background. Our state and nation have an ugly history of discrimination and bigotry. The chant at yesterday's Oregon-BYU game was unacceptable. We must do better. https://t.co/q8aDJ6IMmg
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) September 18, 2022
A Slight Over-reaction? BYU Goes Into Overdrive Over Fake Hate Crime https://t.co/3FGUX2ygM4
— MRCTV (@mrctv) September 10, 2022