Utah athletic director Mark Harlan fined $40,000, reprimanded by Big 12 after criticizing officials

Less than a day after Mark Harlan criticized game officials following BYU’s 22-21 comeback win over Utah late Saturday night, the Big 12 responded by issuing a hefty fine on the Utes athletic director.

The league fined Harlan $40,000 and issued a public reprimand for his actions at the conclusion of the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

“Mark’s comments irresponsibly challenged the professionalism of our officials and the integrity of the Big 12 Conference,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a released statement.

“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. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes professionalism, integrity, and fairness, and will continue to do so.”

The Big 12 also warned that a repeat of such behavior from Harlan would result in a more serious penalty.

On BYU’s final drive of the game, the Utes appeared to have gotten a stop when Jake Retzlaff was sacked at the Cougars 1 on fourth down with 1:30 to play, but a holding penalty on Utah’s Zemaiah Vaughn negated the play and gave BYU a first down.

The Cougars drove 65 yards and won the game on a 44-yard Will Ferrin field goal with four seconds to play.

In a screenshot from ESPN’s TV broadcast that has circulated on social media, Harlan could be seen on the field during the ensuing kickoff return as the play was going on, appearing to try and engage a referee.

Utah was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the return — the lead official announced the infraction was assessed to Utah’s bench — though it was waived off and the game came to an end after the Utes failed to score on the play.

He could also be seen on television talking to an official after the game.

Harlan then made an impromptu appearance in Utah’s postgame press conference area and addressed the assembled media.

“I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years. This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan told reporters. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not.”

He continued: “We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed. I will talk to the (Big 12 Conference) commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight. Thank you.”

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