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Colorado Coach Deion Sanders Issues Apology to BYU on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 7:19 PM ET

Saturday’s matchup between Colorado and No. 23 BYU at Folsom Field ended in a 24–21 victory for the Cougars, but much of the discussion since has shifted away from the on-field result. The tightly contested game was played in front of a sellout crowd and carried the kind of intensity expected from a high-profile Big 12 clash.

However, the atmosphere after the final whistle took an unexpected turn as videos and eyewitness accounts surfaced online, showing sections of the Colorado crowd directing offensive and derogatory chants at BYU players and their supporters. The chants quickly sparked widespread criticism and placed the University of Colorado under the spotlight.

On Tuesday, head coach Deion Sanders took center stage to address the situation and apologize publicly. Speaking at his weekly press conference, Sanders said he was offering the apology on behalf of both the football program and the university.

“On behalf of CU, on behalf of our athletic department, we would like to apologize to our opponents from a week ago for whatever derogatory statements were made by our fans,” Sanders said. He then spoke directly to the Cougars, extending his support to the program.

Coach Prime issues an apology to BYU and their fans for derogatory comments made during the game.

“BYU, we love you. We appreciate you, and we support you.” pic.twitter.com/HqlLxfclQA
— 2025 Big XII Burner Tournament Champion (@SKOBUFFS22) September 30, 2025

“BYU, we love you. We appreciate you, and we support you.”

The Big 12 Conference also announced disciplinary measures, issuing a public reprimand and fining Colorado $50,000 for what it called “inappropriate chants” that included religious slurs aimed at BYU (h/t Joseph Duarte). Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement that the conduct was “hateful and discriminatory” and did not reflect the values of the league. Colorado’s athletic department echoed that stance in its own statement, condemning the behavior and pledging to review its fan policies.

Sanders noted that the incident was fueled by a small group of individuals and urged the broader fan base to hold itself to higher standards moving forward. Both programs now turn their attention back to the field as they prepare for upcoming conference games this weekend.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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