You’d think if fans were arrested and it was such a major moment where security had to physically kick fans out, there would be a few reporters or others who witnessed the event and then made comment of it in their post-game articles.

I’m not calling Hall a liar. I’m not calling you a liar. I just feel that maybe there is a bit of an embellishment going on here.

Young kids threw beer at you? That seems like a stretch.

Now granted, the crowd can get heated and I don’t doubt some problems have happened in the past. But you’re making it sound like it was Thunderdome in there last year.

I was at that game. I’m sure things were a bit interesting, but it wasn’t that bad. In fact, I’ve been to many Holy Wars (I missed this years for the first time since the 2003 game) and rarely do I even see fights. Most of it is good-natured ribbing and that’s about it. And this is on both sides – down in Provo and here in Salt Lake.

If Hall’s family was assaulted, I am glad those fans were removed. However, I do have a sneaking suspicion he’s adding a bit more to the story than there actually was. Because had it gone down similar to what he suggests, it would almost certainly make the rounds locally.

No stories were published about the Hall family being escorted from the stadium by Salt Lake Police.

which is certainly not true.

Each fan base has it’s fair share of morons.
Should they have been removed? Definitely.
But for Hall to act as if every Ute fan is like that… or that Utes fans are the only ones who act like that… is just dumb. And wrong.

Where every person in blue is being attacked, assaulted and mauled by Ute fans.

I can’t believe that. I won’t believe that because it goes contrary to everything I’ve seen at Ute games in all my years.

Granted, I did spend the 2008 game in the Utah student section and only encountered a few Cougar fans coming down the aisles after the game (more before the game outside of the stadium), but even though they were heckled for leaving the game mid-fourth, nothing inappropriate happened.

Beyond that, I sat in a cluster of blue during the 2006 game (a highly charged contest that ended on the final play of the game with John Beck’s pass) – even sat next to two BYU fans. In a mixed area of the stadium with a great deal of Cougar faithful, there were no fights and certainly no spitting and no one dumped beer on anyone else. It was pretty civil and for the ending we witnessed, which could have resulted in far more action in the stands due to the fact it came on the final play, everything seemed rather calm. Cougar fans cheered and Ute fans sat there stunned.

Finally, in 2004 I actually SAT in the BYU section. I sat there because they were the only tickets I could get for the game. While again, there was heckling, I saw no fights. Certainly no parents or family members attacked.

Yet from your account and that of Max Hall’s, I’m led to believe the entire stadium was hell-bent on assaulting anyone in blue. I do not believe that is true. I do believe there might have been shoving and taunting and maybe a spilled cola or two, but not spitting or punching or violent pushing that Hall and you lead us to believe.

If there were, I think we’d hear a helluva lot more about it than what we have.

I mean, it’s bedlam, it’s mayhem. Insert eyeroll here.

So fans were removed, as they should have been. So give it up and congratulate the Ute staff for doing their job, that is how it works. Hall was angry for a year because he was trashed by BYU fans. His hurt and anger spilled over into childishness, stop making excuses for him.

You’re whining, so was Hall. Out of control fans should be policed and removed. You indicated they were. So the complaint is what? BYU has an out of control attitude: we’re special, we’re holy, we’re entitled. Remove that from your fan base and we’ll talk. Hall has his agency, he exercised it, stop making excuses for him. Contrast his comments ot Brian Johnson’s last year—no comparison, Utah exuded class, BYU classlssnes. And gues what? You guys making excuss for hlal means Ute fans will excuse their hatred of BYU for decades now usig your logic. This is really spiraling out of control.

BYU football became an icon for the LDS who self identified as down trodden and picked on and overlooked. They cheered thir team for playing with the big boys and getting the brand out here, but many BYU fans couldn’t simply be proud, they extended that into a sense of entitlement through their self-perceived holiness, and they equated losses with cheating from the world; that “poor, picked on Mormons” complaint.

There is a psychosis in Utah about how the outside world hates and picks on them and nowhere is that manifest more plainly than in BYU football and the results, and ugliness, and excuse making (known as justification) that come of it are uglier than any Utah fan because it is masked in self-righteousness.

Hall’s behavior was akin to a tantrum throwing child’s, and it’s a lie as well. He was calm, collected, post game. There ws zero heat of the moment, he elaborated when asked and was pointed and calm. He was churlish, rude, nasty, and infantile—not heated. Sidetracking this dialogue to discuss the cluelessness of a few fans is disengenuous. You don’t get to excuse your behavior by someone els’s, you define character by your response, not their behavior towards you and guess what: Hall’s character sucks. Too bad, the Cougars could use more Steve Youngs and fewer Max Halls.

BYU has called hatred out on itself with commentary about their righteousness and better than thou attitude, ascribing football victories to god almighty, etc. I personally wince at how that maks my faith look and try to laugh that stuff off, but a lot of folk don’t and if people disrespect your program and refuse to take you seriously, well, maybe there is a reason for that: how can you take people who believe God fixes games for you seriously? You guys don’t get it: you have a chip on your shoulder for being LDS, you whine and shove it people’s faces about the game of football, then cry when people say “that’s inappropriate.” All anyone is saying is “Your behavior, as a group of people, is really disturbing and inappropriate, maybe you could re-examine same?”

But anyone who talks like Hall and the Cougars routinely (not occasionally, routinely) do, calls it on themselves. No, I don’t condone spitting, invective, or throwing things. What you Cougars call on yourselves is this: A lack of respect for any person who hides behind their faith after behaving in a manner that excludes anyone from taking that faith seriously. It’s called hypocrisy, and nowhere in the Church is it more evident thn in BYU sports and their fan bases. BYU sports makes me cringe, I laways have to explain how the football teams attuitude, comments and poor sportsmnship can emanate form Christ. They don’t, and people know that, but people like Max Hall and anyone excusing him are a lot to overcome out here in the real world Sister.

BYU fans and football players are among the worst examples of the LDS faith. The teams have produced some excellent ambassadors for the faith as well, but as a whole it’s a net loss. Hall is simply the latest iteration of the sense of entitlement, spoiled child behavior so many BYU fans exude. Making excuses for him is beneath the dignity of anyone who calls themselves LDS.

It used to be fun to go to college games, but when you insist that it’s about how god likes you more? No, you make it personal and BYU complaining after decades of that talk is really, really inappropriate behavior.

Time for self examination, in my opinion only, not pointing fingers at how the world picks on you. Please, give that one a rest.

Bob

I hate BYU. I don’t hate them personally, obviously, but I do hate the team.

The problem is that BYU fans act as if Utah fans are nothing but vile attackers who assault anyone and everyone in blue. I’ve been going to a lot of Holy Wars in my day and I’ve never seen anything get that out of hand.

I won’t deny people have thrown popcorn on you (hell, that’s happened to me at Jazz games), but it does seem extreme to accept this at face value. Hall’s parents were physically attacked? Really? They were beaten by Ute fans?

And none of that was reported? I can see no one reporting on a little bump from one fan to the next or even popcorn being dumped on Cougar fans. But when the star quarterback’s family is physically assaulted and spit on, you’d think there would be at least some story there.

I mean, we all heard about Kyle Whittingham’s wife getting a fat lip last night. This certainly would have spread like wild fire had it happened the way he did.

Now I’m not saying it doesn’t get heated or there has never been a physical altercation between fans. However, to believe what Hall is suggesting would also believe that the security did absolutely nothing (since Hall said it was happening throughout the game), the media didn’t see this happening, other Ute fans didn’t step in and put a stop to it and the police (who were there to escort the Halls out of the stadium, but not there to bring the peace during the game – uh what?) turned their back to it.

I don’t believe that.

Now does that mean Hall’s family wasn’t taunted? No. I’m sure they were. I’m sure every opposing teams’ fans are taunted at every stadium on every campus. It goes with the nature of the sport. But to believe it got that physical means I have to believe either two things: Hall’s family just sat there and let it happen without doing anything about it. Or that the security didn’t do a thing to help them out.

Neither seems likely, chick. I’m sorry – but I am having a helluva time believing this story on face value. Especially since Hall didn’t say one thing about it after the game last year and didn’t say one thing about it leading up to the rivalry game. He waited until he got the win and was done playing Utah to spout off.

And you know what? Had the Utes actually won, I don’t think Hall even opens his mouth about how much he hates the fans. He would have kept quiet.

But he won and he doesn’t have to face the Utes anymore. So, it’s easy to just throw out stuff there knowing you won’t have to be held accountable for your actions.

No oe would be lughing Hall off then. We didn’t think Collie was cute after his comments regardless of us thrashing BYU.

I’d love to get back to football, but the regular season is over. I can’t talk about our bowl opponent because we don’t know what bowl game we’re playing in. I’d love to move on from BYU, but the fact is, we’re only about 24 hours out of the game.

You can’t expect me to stop reporting about what has happened the last day because he just apologized. And you can’t call me reporting on it whining. I’m not whining. I’m just trying to get a full read on the situation.

I mean, to accept Hall’s apology would mean I’d have to accept his family was beaten short of death last year. I don’t accept that. I don’t believe Hall is telling the truth there.

It sounds like any other sports apology… some PR people wrote something up, and he read it.

Hall has a potty mouth though and has been a hothead all his career so excusing it is no longer really possible, forgive sure, excuse, no.

Your comments about fan behavior are spot on, thanks!

Until the next poor sport.

Thanks!

Utah fans do behave poorly towards BYU fans. I understand it is a rivalry, but frankly, we do, and should, show more class than that.

Sorry, Boylen, but I don’t buy it got that ugly. Listening to Hall speak, you’d think his family was left for dead up there.

If you want to add something to the debate, great. But we’re Ute fans here. We can talk about whatever want and if you want to silently watch and laugh, great. If you want to add something to the debate, great. But don’t troll.

Don’t be a pussy OK?

Thanks

Bob

We’ll never know.

Here’s a key thing to note though: in releasing this apology he continues on with the justification of his behavior, which is like saying “I am sorry, but I was right to say what I did, but really accept my apology, thogh I meant it becaus eof what happened.”

It’s kind of disingenuous: he says on the one hand it was “heat of the moment” then says he’s been kicking it around and stewing for a long time.

Kind of makes it sound premeditated.

I mena, I cna forgive him, sure, but excuse his behavior and say it’s sincere, who knows, it doesn’t seem terribly sincere when you think about it.

Cheers.

rushing the filed has become all too common. it should be saved for championships imo. and if it is allowed, it must be done in a better way than currently allowed. sounds like utah has a good idea there. give the players a chance to either leave the field or gather in the middle of the field.
true it is great to celebrate a victory and its all done in fun. but players, coaches, referees and fans could get hurt. i’ve personally witnessed some byu fans getting into a physical altercation with referees trying to get off the field. it was sad to see. the positives of rushing the field, or court, are outweighed by the negative in its current form.
as far as the beer goes, i wouldnt bet on them not knowing the smell of beer, or a caffeinated cola (which happens to smell the same as a non-caffeinated cola lol). who knows if it happened or not. i’ve heard of stranger things. may or may not have happened but what matters is that fans get their acts together on both sides. dont let things get personal, nasty and heated like we have seen this year. all jawing aside, its a game. just one byu happened to get this year.