The Utah Utes are not having a good time in their first season in the Big 12, and that rough beginning was compounded by comments from their athletic director Mark Harlan that have resulted in a $40,000 fine.
Following the Utes’ 22-21 home loss to rival BYU on Saturday night that dropped Utah to 4-5 and 1-5 in the conference, Harlan unloaded on the officiating and the conference itself.
“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.”
Those comments led to a fairly swift reaction from the league, which reprimanded Harlan with the fine and a statement Sunday.
“Mark’s comments irresponsibly challenged the professionalism of our officials and the integrity of the Big 12 Conference,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “There is a right way and a wrong way to voice concerns. Unfortunately, Mark chose the wrong way. Accordingly, this violation warrants a public reprimand and financial penalty. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes professionalism, integrity, and fairness, and will continue to do so.”
Down 21-19, a holding penalty called on Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn on fourth down negated a sack and gave BYU the ball at its own 19 with about 90 seconds left. The Cougars then drove down the field for a game-winning 44-yard field goal.
With the win, which came before the largest crowd (54,383) ever at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, No. 9 BYU moved to 9-0, 6-0 in the conference, to stay firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth.
“I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision,” Harlan said in a statement. “My comments came after having just left our team locker room where our student-athletes were hurting and upset. The University of Utah is proud to be a member of the Big 12 Conference and we look forward to working with our peers to continue to enhance the league.”
The game was the first between the two as conference mates since 2010 when both teams left the Mountain West Conference. Utah joined the Big 12 along with three other Pac-12 teams this summer. BYU joined the conference in 2023.
