Utah athletic director Mark Harlan backed away a bit after his angry comments about Big 12 officiating following the Utes’ heartbreaking loss to BYU late Saturday.
Utah lost 22-21 to BYU thanks in part to a controversial holding call against the Utes on the Cougars’ final drive, which nullified a fourth down stop and essentially kept BYU in the game. The Cougars went on to get into field goal range and win.
Harlan was so angry after the game that he went to the podium and said the game had been “absolutely stolen” from Utah. He added that he was “disgusted” with the officiating crew, and even went as far as to say he was no longer pleased to have moved the school into the Big 12.
Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan Post Game pic.twitter.com/eKjy4PpedU
— Elijah Grayson Murray (@elijahgmurray) November 10, 2024
Harlan was fined $40,000 and received a public reprimand from the Big 12 in response to the comments, and he issued a somewhat chastened statement on Sunday.
“Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating. However, I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision,” Harlan said in his statement. “My comments came after having just left our team locker room where our student-athletes were hurting and upset. The University of Utah is proud to be a member of the Big 12 Conference and we look forward to working with our peers to continue to enhance the league.”
Statement from Utah AD Mark Harlan, who was publicly reprimanded by the Big 12 and fined $40,000 for his comments disparaging the officiating and the conference: pic.twitter.com/0VIBdERHbU
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 11, 2024
Harlan’s case was not helped by the fact that the holding call appeared to be correct. The emotions were understandable, but the Big 12 was never going to react kindly to an athletic director going off in public like that.
Utah’s loss dropped them to 4-5 on the season, and their quarterback is out for the season. It has been a frustrating year for the program on every level.
