BYU team captain Tyler Batty gave a passionate speech to his college football teammates at halftime of Saturday’s loss to Arizona State. He used a lot of language that directly violates the university’s Honor Code, which stems from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Words that were meant to be said in private, behind closed doors, were secretly recorded by an unknown source and leaked on social media. The Big 12 Conference is looking into the mole.
Batty was/is widely beloved by the Cougar faithful. By all accounts, he is a fantastic leader and a great man of faith. However, there is a small portion of the fanbase and surrounding Mormon community that has since changed their opinion on the senior defensive end after hearing his impassioned speech. They are very upset by his use of expletives.
It is truly unfortunate that Batty is now subject to criticism because the speech never should’ve been made public in the first place. Batty’s BYU teammates are furious with the leak but they are not letting it keep them down because it’s really not that big of a deal compared to other Honor Code violations.
Obviously, not super appropriate, I don’t think, to have an employee of the school you’re at take a video of a private team moment like that. But honestly, at the end of the day, we don’t care that much.
— BYU captain Connor Pay
Head coach Kalani Sitake is not thrilled with the spy, who appeared to be a member of the security team at Mountain America Stadium based on the context clues. He also revealed that the Big 12 is on the case.
The Big 12 is looking into it. They’re reviewing everything that happened in the game […] and even the recording. They’re looking into all of that stuff. They’ll deal with it. I trust the Big 12 leadership and [I’ll] just let them handle that.
— Kalani Sitake
When asked a follow-up question about the conference’s investigation, Sitake respectfully moved on. The Cougars are focused on their next game.
I don’t know. I didn’t really check into it. I just trust the Big 12 and the leadership for them to look into things. The game is done. I’m not like sitting here complaining about anything. We’ve just got to move on. But that’s their job is to look into stuff and see if everything was done the right way.
— Kalani SitakeIt is unclear if Tyler Batty received any additional reprimand from the university or the Church for his use of profanity, which is specifically outlined as taboo. Members of the Mormon faith are to avoid cussing.
In this specific instance, those who are upset with Batty’s speech are more conservative in their religion. Most people seem to be understanding of the circumstance as more lenient in their beliefs.
Regardless of how BYU chooses to move forward with Batty, the Big 12’s investigation is more important. Who filmed and leaked the speech? Will he be punished? How can this behavior be prevented in the future? These are the questions the conference must answer.