PROVO -- BYU quarterback Max Hall is apologizing for comments he made after the Cougars beat in-state rival Utah.
After BYU's 26-23 overtime win on Saturday, Hall called the University of Utah and its fans classless and said the school deserved to lose. He made the remarks in the midst of complaining about the way his family was treated by Utah fans at the 2008 game at Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium. Hall said fans dumped beer on his family and did a "whole bunch of nasty things."
Hall issued a statement Sunday night, saying that in the heat of the moment he made comments about the entire university and all its fans that were really directed at the fans from last year's game.
"As a result of what happened to my family last year, this rivalry became personal, and in the heat of the moment yesterday I made comments toward the entire university. It was not intended to be directed at the entire organization and all of their fans and I apologize that it came out that way. I have the utmost respect for Kyle Whittingham, his coaching staff, and the Utah football players. I apologize to them and other members of the university for my comments.
"I'm also sorry if my comments took anything away from my teammates and coaches and our victory Saturday. The BYU-Utah game is a great rivalry, but no one should be treated the way my family was last year. I'm hoping that BYU and Utah fans can take steps to prevent future incidents at the game."
Utah officials declined to respond to Hall's comments. BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall praised Hall for his apology.
The Mountain West Conference issued a public reprimand for Hall on Monday. Both BYU and Utah await bowl invitations this week.
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