Central Florida tight end Grayson Brousseau (88) scores a touchdown on a 4-yard pass to give UCF the lead in the second overtime period as BYU safety Tommy Prassas (22) defends during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. | Phelan M. Ebenhack Krysyan Edler · Deseret News Sat, November 7, 2026 at 12:02 AM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Latter-day Saint UCF player was suited up for the homecoming game against BYU when some of his own team's fans directed derogatory chants at BYU and its sponsoring institution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
UCF tight end Grayson Brousseau, who grew up in Lehi, Utah, didn't personally hear the chants, he told reporters in his media availability on Monday. But he praised the university's handling of the incident.
"All I heard was on the intercom, and I felt like UCF did a great job of handling the individuals that were a part of it apparently," he said. "But it is what it is. You can't really — I can't do anything about it. Just got to stay who I am."
The fans were identified and removed from the stadium by security, according to ESPN . UCF won the game in double overtime, beating BYU 39-31 .
UCF was fined $100,000 for the incident, per the new updates the Big 12 made to its discriminatory conduct policy following the game, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The conference acknowledged UCF's quick action of removing the fans and playing the Big 12's pregame sportsmanship commercial, but still issued the fine.
Per the updated policy, a host institution will be fined $100,000 for the first "confirmed" incident, which will be followed by a formal warning.
After a second confirmed incident, the host team will receive a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty if it's during a football game or an unsportsmanlike two-shot technical foul if it's during a basketball game. The host school could also be fined an additional $500,000.
The chants have become a trend at BYU football and basketball road games across the country.
They were also heard during Utah State's away game against Texas State on Oct. 24, the Deseret News reported. The Pac-12 released a statement on the incident a week later.
"There is no place for such behavior in any venue, nor should it be tolerated," the conference said. "The league has reviewed the preventive measures in place at both instances at Pac-12 venues this season, and will be working with its board of directors to strengthen fan conduct standards and accountability, both to prevent this behavior at our own games and to better protect our student-athletes and fans across any sporting events."
On Monday, a reporter asked Brousseau what he thinks people don't understand about the faith that could be the cause of the discrimination.
"I feel like sometimes we need to understand that things aren't as big as sports, and we need to love each other as human beings just as much as we love the game," he said. "It's nothing bigger than that. Like at the end of the day, we're all human beings. We want love, and it's not about football all the time. So being able to understand that, I think, is something important."
Source: Sports
