University of Southern California apologizes after students sang ‘F*** the Mormons’ chant to BYU

The University of Southern California has issued an apology after its students chanted ‘F*** the Mormons’ during a weekend football game played against Brigham Young University.

‘The offensive chant from our student section directed towards BYU during the football game last night does not align with our Trojan values,’ the USC football team said in a statement on Sunday.

‘It was distasteful and we apologize to the BYU program.’

BYU is one of several American colleges owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and university records from 2019 showed that over 98 per cent of the school’s 33,000 student roster were Mormons. 

The chant came despite both USC’s starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and linebacker Tayler Kato being Utah residents and LDS members.

BYU, the No. 13 ranked team in the country, defeated USC 35 to 31. 

Brigham Young University, or BYU, is one of several American colleges owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Well over 90 per cent of BYU students are Mormons

The chants came despite USC’s own starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, being a member of the LDS church and a Utah resident (Dart pictured during Saturday’s game at USC)

USC Athletics issued an apology for the chant via Twitter on Sunday. ‘The offensive chant from our student section directed towards BYU during the football game last night does not align with our Trojan values,’ the tweet read.

USC defensive line coach Vic So’oto claimed he did not hear the college’s students singing the chants but nonetheless offered an apology via Twitter in which he tagged BYU’s head coach Kalani Sitake and athletic director Tom Holmoe.

‘I did not hear the chant but I know it does not reflect the Trojan family that I’ve come to know and love,’ he wrote.

The chant has divided opinion on social media, with some Twitter users lightheartedly poking fun at USC students for the offensive chant which reportedly came shortly after a USC commercial promoting the college’s inclusivity.

Others meanwhile sprang to the defense of USC students and instead blasted BYU students who were reportedly heard chanting ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ – a political slogan and phrase taken to mean ‘F*** Joe Biden’.

‘The timing of the chant was interesting. Right after the USC is inclusive commercial,’ wrote one Twitter user – a observation made by multiple profiles – while other users took a harsher stance by outright accusing USC students of discriminating against a whole religion.

Some users however chose to call out the chants of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ from BYU students in return, with actor, comedian and political commentator Hal Sparks writing: ‘It starts with thinking it’s cute when your kid shits on the President of their own country in giant cult like chants at games… and then your kid shows you that you are raising a bigot.’

The chant has divided opinion on social media, with some Twitter users lightheartedly poking fun at USC students for the offensive chant which reportedly came shortly after a USC commercial promoting the college’s inclusivity

Meanwhile, actor, comedian and political commentator Hal Sparks chose to call out BYU students for their ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ chant: ‘It starts with thinking it’s cute when your kid shits on the President of their own country in giant cult like chants at games… and then your kid shows you that you are raising a bigot.’