Big 12 has 'zero tolerance' for discriminatory chants moving forward, Yormark says
By Nate Church,
July 7, 2026
FRISCO, Texas — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormint addressed the religiously discriminatory chants that BYU and its fans have faced in the past, saying that moving forward there will no tolerance for such behavior. “I can tell you, I speak on behalf of my role as commissioner, as well as my 16 institutions,” Yormark said Tuesday morning during his news conference to kick off annual Big 12 football media days festivities. “We have zero tolerance for that kind of behavior on a go forward basis. Zero tolerance.”
Future preventative measures
The commissioner, university presidents and athletic directors of each institution will meet later in August to discuss the situation and outline preventative measures.
“My goal, our collective goal, is to be great every day for our student athletes, for our member institutions, for our communities that we live in,” said Yormark. “We plan on being better next year.”
History of discriminatory chants
BYU and its fans have faced religiously discriminatory chants for more than a decade. Last football season, the University of Colorado student section chanted expletives during a football game in Boulder, Colorado. The university was fined by the Big 12.
Later in the season, the University of Cincinnati student section also participated in the chants, but the school was not fined by the conference.
Despite the inconsistencies in the past, BYU and its fans are at the forefront of the conference’s conversation around inclusion and community.
