'F*** the Mormons!' Utah governor calls Oregon students' chant during BYU football game 'religious bigotry'; left-wing Oregon governor says 'we must do better'

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox blasted an "f*** the Mormons!" chant from University of Oregon students caught on video during a home football game Saturday against Brigham Young University in Eugene, Oregon.

"Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon," Cox, a Republican, wrote on a Twitter post that included video of the chant. Content warning: Profanity:

BYU is private university in Utah sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly known as Mormons, CBS News noted in its report on the incident.

One apology, one 'we must do better' declaration

The University of Oregon apologized for the incident Sunday.

"The University of Oregon sincerely apologizes for an offensive and disgraceful chant coming from the student section during yesterday’s game against Brigham Young University," the school said on a Twitter post. "These types of actions go against everything the university stands for, and it goes against the spirit of competition. We can and will do better as a campus community that has no place for hate, bias or bigotry."

Oregon's far-left Gov. Kate Brown posted a retweet of the school's apology and added a "we must do better" declaration: "In Oregon, we strive to be a welcoming, inclusive state to all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or background. Our state and nation have an ugly history of discrimination and bigotry. The chant at yesterday's Oregon-BYU game was unacceptable. We must do better."

Oregon beat BYU 41-20, CBS News noted.

Debunked Duke volleyball racism claim, anyone?

It's more than reasonable — unless you're avoiding the subject — to view the anti-LDS chant during the BYU football game in concert with a Duke volleyball player's now-debunked racism accusation against BYU last month.

BYU officials banned a fan accused of yelling racial slurs at Rachel Richardson, a Duke volleyball player, during an Aug. 26 match. Richardson's godmother claimed on social media that Richardson was called the N-word "every time she served" and was "threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus." Richardson made the same allegations.

It ignited a media firestorm, with talking heads from coast to coast characterizing the accusations as factual before actual facts came in. Here's one example, with CNN's Brianna Keilar telling Richardson's father she's "sorry for what your daughter had to endure" and him admitting he didn't attend the game at BYU:

Father of Duke volleyball player discusses racist comments directed at his daughteryoutu.be

CNN was singing a different tune after BYU announced Sept. 9 that after an extensive investigation, it found no evidence to corroborate accusations than a fan racially harassed a Duke University volleyball player — and the school reversed the ban on the fan:

It's also reasonable to wonder if the racism accusation against BYU — despite it being disproven — played any part in the Oregon students chanting "f*** the Mormons" at Saturday's football game.

Here's the perspective of one Twitter user who apparently only heard about accusations against BYU and missed the debunking part: "Was this a reaction to the person that yelled racial slurs at the ladies of color who were in a volleyball match against BYU? Did @SpencerJCox ever condemn the person and this ugly episode at the mormon-owned BYU?"

And another one: "I'm old enough to remember BYU fans at a volleyball match yelling bigoted racial chants at a Black volleyball player. Bigotry alive and celebrated by BYU fans. Don't act like you are better."

But one Twitter user noticed the correlation: "This is a direct result of the hate commentary leveled against BYU following the Duke 'thing.; All commentators that condemned BYU, invoking the religion, are responsible and must face consequences. They are guilty of fanning and inciting violence."