It can be easy to forget that the athletes we watch on the field and through our television have struggles and challenges outside of the game. Especially when everything is going so well for your favorite squad.
Though this isn't always the case with BYU athletics -- a program that prides itself on following the example of Jesus Christ as much as possible -- even the Cougars have found themselves caught in the spotlight in recent years.
Wide receiver Parker Kingston left the team this offseason after his involvement in a felony rape case. And while the case has been temporarily dismissed and his presumed innocence maintained, he still remains off the team with no public plans to join up once again before the fall.
But perhaps even more public has been the saga between BYU athletics and former quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, who was similarly accused the season before. Retzlaff, a quarterback not of the LDS faith, but still held to the standard of the university's strict honor code, was never charged with a crime, but admitted to the associated violation and subsequently transferred from the team to avoid serving a 7-game suspension in his final season of eligibility.
For some, his request to join BYU for Pro Day was a heartwarming gesture. A show of goodwill between the two sides, which choose to embrace what draws them together rather than what drove them apart. For others -- cough, cough, needlessly engaged Ute fans -- it was evidence of hypocrisy and double standards rampant in the Cougars' athletics program.
Athletic Director Brian Santiago touched on this subject during an interview with KSL Sports.
"We've got to walk the path with these young people," Santiago began. "They're going through a time of life where they're trying to figure it out. Sometimes things happen. Choices are made. There has to be a human element."
"I'm super grateful for Jake Retzlaff. That was a situation that was super, super tough, but you've got a head coach in Kalani who wraps his arms around him. [...] He has a monster year and says, 'hey can I come back and do my Pro Day at BYU?' Absolutely."
BYU AD Brian Santiago joined Scotty G. & The Coach to reflect on his first year leading Cougar athletics and shared insight into the human side of the job with how he handled the request of former QB Jake Retzlaff to return to BYU for his Pro Day.#gocougs #cfb pic.twitter.com/MGefhsfbv9
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 12, 2026
More than athletes and more than their mistakes, these student-athletes require a healthy, safe zone to learn and develop not just in their athletic sphere, but also as human beings. BYU aspires for that pinnacle.
Add us as a preferred source on Google