FORT COLLINS, Colorado — Colorado State University has apologized to Brigham Young University and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after fans directed derogatory religious chants toward BYU during Saturday’s football game at Canvas Stadium.
The chants, which included an expletive directed at “Mormons,” were heard primarily from Colorado State’s student section before the game and at points during the contest. Colorado State issued its apology before the game ended, saying religious mockery does not reflect the university’s values.
“Mocking anyone’s faith has no place at CSU,” the university said, adding that BYU players, coaches and supporters deserved better and that officials were addressing the incident with students.
The incident occurred as No. 11 BYU defeated Colorado State 41-23 on September 19, improving to 3-0 on the season. The Cougars controlled much of the game, totaling 559 yards of offense, while running back LJ Martin rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake declined to characterize the actions of some fans as representative of the entire Colorado State community. He said the offensive chants appeared to come from a minority of spectators and praised the overall atmosphere in Fort Collins, saying the team would not judge an entire fan base because of the actions of a few people.
Martin similarly said the comments from the stands did not provide additional motivation for the Cougars, describing the team as self-motivated and focused on performing on the field.
Saturday’s incident follows several similar episodes involving BYU athletic teams in recent seasons. In 2025, the Big 12 Conference fined the University of Colorado $50,000 after fans used expletives and religious slurs during a football game against BYU. Cincinnati also apologized following derogatory chants during a game against the Cougars, while Oklahoma State was fined by the Big 12 over inappropriate chants during a basketball game against BYU.
BYU is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The repeated incidents have renewed attention on religiously derogatory chants directed at the university and its sponsoring faith during college sporting events.
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