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BYU football: MWC reviewing Hall's inflammatory comments
By Jay Drew
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 11/29/2009 07:10:46 PM MST
Provo » It appears as if BYU quarterback Max Hall will get a public reprimand for saying he hates everything about Utah and calling the university, its fans and football program "classless" after the Cougars defeated the Utes 26-23 in overtime on Saturday.
Javan Hedlund, associate commissioner for communications for the Mountain West Conference, said Sunday that the conference is "very aware" of the comments Hall made in a postgame news conference and has "initiated the process" to determine whether the senior violated the MWC's sportsmanship policy.
"We are going through the process, and if it warrants further public action, we will announce it. It won't be [Sunday], but it will be [Monday] or Tuesday, if something were to be made public," Hedlund said.
BYU had not issued a statement regarding the matter as of 6 p.m. Sunday, and an athletic department spokesperson did not return telephone calls.
University of Utah associate athletic director Liz Abel said the school would have no comment regarding Hall's remarks and considered it a "BYU issue."
Because he has had no previous violations of the league's sportsmanship policy in the past 12 months, Hall's expected reprimand will amount to a slap on the wrist -- similar to what BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen and linebackers coach Barry Lamb received last week for comments critical of Air Force's blocking techniques.
Certainly, though, Hall's comments have shifted the focus from another thrilling rivalry game and BYU's third razor-close win over Utah in four years to himself.
Internet message boards and social networking sites buzzed incessantly Sunday over the remarks of Hall, nephew of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.
Hall's pointed comments came almost an hour after he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Andrew George to give the Cougars a 26-23 win in overtime.
A throng of BYU fans stormed onto the field to celebrate the victory, and a few minor scuffles broke out in the northwest corner of the stadium, where many Utah fans were gathered.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham's wife, Jamie, was struck in the face while on the field and suffered a cut lip, but the coach declined to comment on the incident, according to Abel.
Until throwing the game-winning touchdown pass, Hall had not played particularly well in regulation. He finished completing 12 of 32 passes for 134 yards and two TDs. But he did not have any turnovers in the game, unlike in 2008 when he fumbled once and was intercepted five times in a 48-24 loss at Utah.
Asked if he felt any personal redemption for avenging that loss, Hall went on a rant about how much he hates Utah because of the way some of its fans acted last year during that game.
He said Utah fans threw beer on his family "and they did a whole bunch of nasty things, and I don't respect them, and they deserved to lose." According to several of Hall's teammates, at last year's Utah game in Salt Lake City, the crowd passed around a blowup the deed doll with a sign on its back that read, "Max Hall's mom."
Asked after the rant if he wants the Utes to win their bowl game, the 24-year-old Hall replied, "I don't care."
