Reporter talks about ugly chant from students at BYU-Oregon game

SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Oregon has formally apologized after an offensive chant from the student section was recorded during a football game Saturday against the visiting BYU team. Is the apology enough or should the chanters face discipline?

Oregon apologizes to BYU fans for profane, anti-Mormon chant

Even the governor of Utah had something to share about the incident.

Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon. https://t.co/l8BdsSJWu2

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) September 18, 2022

 

Jay Drew, who covers BYU sports for the Deseret News and who attended the game, joins Dave & Debbie to discuss what he witnessed and what happens next.

Drew said even though he was in an open-air press box he did not hear the offensive chant because of the distance between the Oregon student section and the press box.

“I was only made aware of it probably an hour after the game when the video surfaced,” he said.

‘Heard chant many’ times at BYU games

“This is not the first time you’ve heard that chant, I’m sure,” Dave noted.

Drew said he heard the same chant in November when BYU visited USC.

USC athletics issues apology to BYU football program for ‘offensive chant’ during game

“The difference there was you could hear it on the ESPN broadcast,” he said. “I’ve been covering BYU football for 15 years. I’ve heard it at many, many venues, including in state venues to be perfectly honest with you, so no, it wasn’t shocking.”

“Is there any indication that there will be a further investigation or something else will happen or do these things typically end with the apology?” Dave asked.

Drew said the incident at USC ended with the apology from the university.

“Of course there was no video on that, so that’s pretty difficult thing to investigate,” he added.

Drew said he requested a comment on the chant from a University of Oregon spokesperson.

“I think it was like the dean of Student Life or something like that . . . emailed an apology to me and in that apology said Oregon will investigate,” he said.

Debbie said she doesn’t think an apology goes far enough.

“I feel like the guilty need to be put on probation, a letter in their academic file [and] banned from future games,” she said. 

 

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.