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PROVO — Following an internet firestorm that raged for upwards of four hours on Thursday, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, after meeting with his players, has scaled back plans to replace player surnames with program mottos on the backs of their jerseys.
During BYU's annual Picture Day at the Indoor Practice Facility, players wore jerseys with the nameplates "Tradition," "Spirit" and "Honor"--the three core principles espoused by Mendenhall as program pillars--in place of their names. Mendenhall said he made the change without notifying the players, "or anyone else," and that he intended the change to remain in place "all season."
Tonight, on his Twitter feed, Mendenhall reversed course:
"Talked to my team tonite. They want to wear 'tradition,' 'spirit, 'honor' on jerseys for homecoming only. Last names for rest of the year. PERFECT!"
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After the initial news of the jersey change, BYU fan reaction on my Twitter feed (@gregwrubell) was instantaneous and uniformly negative, while the players were generally lukewarm in their appraisal of the change.
Linebacker Kyle van Noy said, "I'm not really sure what I think about it yet"; he said player surnames were "something that people take very honorable when you play football. It's gonna be different and it's gonna be getting used to; we'll see how it goes."
Defensive back Mike Hague said, "We all saw it today and were kind of thrown off," while quarterback Taysom Hill said "I was definitely a little surprised when I saw it."
Running back Jamaal Williams acknowledged that "we understand what they're trying to do, but we still want our last names on there."
Mendenhall, whether or not he was totally aware of the growing unrest among players and the fan base, called for an early evening team meeting in which it was determined that BYU would wear the special jerseys only for the Homecoming game with Georgia Tech on October 12th.
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In explaining his intentions earlier in the day, Mendenhall said, "We've identified (Tradition-Spirit-Honor) as the core principles of what the program is going to be. After eight years and the successes we've had to this point, after year two of independence and the vision I have for this program and what I see going forward, I intend that to be very visible, for anyone who wants to know about our program and what it stands for, on the biggest stages.
"I would consider it a re-launching of those same values that have helped us be successful to this point. As long as I'm the coach here, that's what we'll emphasize.
"I think (the uniform change) reflects consistency. It's been on the stadium and it's been really at the core of everything that we've done.
"My point is simply to identify that we're going to be very consistent; this is what the programs represents...and if anyone was wondering if we're going away from that, just look on the back of the jerseys--your answer is right there."
The plan now is to display that answer once, and once only, this season.
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A parenthetical question is whether NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations allow the planned modification; the rulebook actually address jersey regulations in a way that calls into question whether Mendenhall's plan passes muster.
Rule 1-5-b states:
"Other than the player's number, the jersey may only contain: Player's name; school name; NCAA Football logo; sleeve stripes; insignia for school, conference, mascot, postseason-game, memorial, or the military; or an American or state flag."
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In recent years, either military institutions or schools honoring the military have used words like Service, Honor, Freedom, Country, Duty and Commitment in place of player surnames; such a practice appears covered by the allowances above.
The only way that Tradition-Spirit-Honor nameplates remain in compliance would appear to be if they are interpreted as "insignia for school," or if a related waiver is secured.
Whether BYU's jersey change abides by the rules will ultimately have to be addressed by school administrators, but it will be a question for another day, some time down the road.
Tonight, though, there is calm, after BYU's "tempest in a T-shirt" swept through Cougar Nation with a sound and fury, signifying...that Twitter can get pretty crazy sometimes.
Today's story will be remembered as a momentary distraction that no one envisioned, on a day in which BYU players practiced in full pads for the first time. In the end, the silent parade of blue and white jerseys made more noise than those pads popping.
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