Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was none too pleased after Saturday’s loss at the hands of heated rival BYU. In a heat of the moment reaction, Harlan entered the postgame press conference immediately following the game and had some very choice words for the Big 12 officiating crew that made some questionable calls down the stretch of the game.

“I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years; this game was absolutely stolen from us; we were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not,” Harlan said. “We won this game; someone else stole it from us. I’m very disappointed. I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team; I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”

Although he approached the situation with the intent to protect his players and coaching staff, Harlan’s comments were not received well outside of the Utah program, specifically by the Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark.

Earlier on Sunday, Yormark made this statement regarding his decision to fine Harlan $40k: “There is a right way and a wrong way to voice concerns. Unfortunately, Mark chose the wrong way. Accordingly, this violation warrants a public reprimand and financial penalty.”

A tough loss, especially to a longtime rival, can allow for emotions to take over, and that was the case after Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat. Harlan has been an integral part of the continued success the Utah program has seen over the past decade, but last night was not a great representation of the university and the tradition they strive to uphold.

Unfortunately for Harlan and the Utes, there were plenty of other moments from last night’s game that can be attributed to the loss, but the circumstances and timing of the controversial calls were the difference-makers in a tough-fought battle between the two storied programs.

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