BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall met with the media Monday unsure of what to say.
He had read reports of Missouri’s protests, the football team’s involvement and the firing of UM System President Tim Wolfe. Still, he wasn’t ready to say much off the cuff, so he prepared an initial statement.
“I think Missouri’s been dealing with some really important, but also difficult issues,” Mendehall said. “We’re grateful that they’re able to reach a resolution, or a beginning of a resolution might be more applicable to say.
“We look forward to preparing for the game at Arrowhead Stadium. It’s a unique opportunity for our football team to play against a great program in a storied venue. I’ve gotten word and I’ve gotten a statement from what Missouri athletics' Mack Rhoades and Gary Pinkel have said, that football activities will resume Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s game, so it looks like for all intents and purposes the game will be played.
“That doesn’t mean that the other issues that they’re dealing with go away instantly and my hope is that they can find a resolution that will work effectively for all parties.”
Missouri will meet BYU at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, the first meeting between the two teams since the 1983 Holiday Bowl. Mendenhall said he’d been keeping a watchful eye on the events at Missouri since a group of African-American Mizzou football players posted their plans to boycott on social media, but that he tried to keep his players on their routine and prepare for the contest.
Mendenhall said he and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel had become friends through various Nike events (both teams are sponsored by Nike) and through their love of Harley Davidson motorcycles, but he doesn’t know how he would have reacted if a similar situation would have occurred at BYU.
“My thoughts have been more just trying to educate myself as to what’s happening there and why and trying to get a chronological order if possible just to begin to try to make sense of it,” Mendenhall said. “In terms of handling a situation like [Pinkel’s] handled as a head coach? I have no idea how to begin to even answer that. There’s just way too many things I don’t know to even comment other than I know him, I respect him and I’m sure he’s doing what he believes is best.”
Mendenhall, like many others, did say the biggest thing that struck him about the events going on at Missouri was the football program’s ability to swiftly command change.
“I think that the other thing that it really shows which is maybe just as compelling is the interest in college football and things start to happen when college football endorsing is involved,” Mendenhall said. “So I think it’s drawn heightened awareness certainly to this particular issue, but maybe there are other issues in the past where college football has been a catalyst for change in some regard. And so, that to me is maybe more the underlying story, is how college football has really impacted this story.”
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