Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has released a statement in the wake of the Big 12 issuing a public reprimand, along with a $40,000 fine for his post-game actions on Saturday night when he claimed the officials stole the game from the Utes.
After Utah lost to BYU 22-21 on Saturday night, Harlan said at the podium, “I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years. This game was absolutely stolen from us. We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game, someone else stole it from us. I’m very disappointed, I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark responded with a $40,000 fine and a statement, reading, in part, that Harlan’s comments “irresponsibly challenged the professionalism of our officials and integrity of the Big 12 Conference.”
Mark Harlan put out his own statement in response on Sunday night, reading, “Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating. I recognize there are more appropriate ways times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of that decision. 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. BYU, Coach Sitake and their coaches are having a terrific season and we wish them the very best.”
Utah vs. BYU Controversial Play
The play in most question came on a 4th and long on the game-winning drive by BYU, where Utah was hit with a holding call, rather than a Utah sack on quarterback Jake Retzlaff, which would have ended the game and given Utah the upset victory.
Related: Utah AD Crushes Big 12, But Needs to Look in the Mirror
Utah was looking to hand BYU its first loss of the season, which would have thrown the Big 12 standings into even more chaos. But instead, the Utes rough season continues as they dropped to 4-5 overall and 1-5 on the season.
The Utes are back at it next week when they face Colorado on the road. The game will kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT on FOX.
