By James Greaves
Jimmy Rex was enjoying the BYU-Wyoming game when, halfway through the first quarter, someone told him to take off his shirt.
Security informed him that his “Fire Crowton” T-shirt was inappropriate and that he needed to remove it or leave the stadium, highlighting stadium policy on free speech.
“BYU is pretty much taking away our freedom of speech,” Rex said. “I am very disappointed.”
Rex printed 150 shirts, with “Fire Crowton” on the front and the reference for 1 Nephi 4:13 on the back, in an attempt to “improve the BYU football team.”
The scripture reads: “It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.”
However, officials said the anti-Crowton propaganda violated stadium standards.
“We do have a policy for those things offensive to individuals, to the team and to the university,” said Larry Duffin, director of LaVell Edwards Stadium. “For those things not in good taste or not in keeping with the atmosphere we are trying to promote.”
When some students wearing the T-shirts were turned away at the gates, they removed the T-shirts and put them back on once they were inside the stadium.
Others had no problem entering wearing the T-shirts. During the game, all the students wearing the T-shirts inside the stadium were asked by stadium security, sometimes with the help of police officers, to remove them or leave.
Jimmy Secor, Utah Valley State College freshmen from Glendora, Calif., wore one of Rex”s T-shirts to the game.
Secor and a friend were both warned by security to remove their T-shirts of leave the game. At least six groups of students wearing the T-shirt were warned by security.
“We were pretty mad,” Secor said. “It didn”t make sense.”
Secor said he and his friends put up a fight, but eventually gave in and removed their shirts or turned them inside out for the rest of the game. He also said fans around them booed the stadium security official and asked Secor where he had bought it.
Rex, the mastermind behind the T-shirt, often makes shirts to support the Cougars.
“I usually make more positive T-shirts,” Rex said. “But Crowton didn”t allow it by his performance. We were just trying to improve the program.”
He sold 150 shirts in a two-week period before the Wyoming game and said he didn”t understand why people would be offended or why officials would object.
“It”s not like it”s a vulgar T-shirt,” Rex said. “It”s not offensive in any way.”
Duffin said the “Fire Crowton” T-shirts were not an isolated incident at Edwards Stadium.
“When 65,000 people come to a game there are going to be a few that want to bring this kind of thing in,” Duffin said. “This happens every game. Every game we have people who want to bring in signs and banners.”
Over the years, Duffin said he has seen all kinds of propaganda and adverting in the form of banners, signs, T-shirts and numerous other formats. Messages in the past have ranged from objectionable to obscene, Duffin said.
Duffin said BYU policy, although strict, is not as strict as that of other universities.
“Some universities don”t allow any signs at all. Period. Others allow just about anything,” he said. “We support the university”s A-plus fan policy.”
But, according to Rex, he was being loyal and good.
“Being an A-plus fan is doing anything that would help the team,” Rex said.
