Mark Harlan’s $40,000 fine was not paid out of University of Utah funds

Less than 24 hours after Utah athletic director Mark Harlan criticized the Big 12 officiating crew that worked the BYU-Utah game on Nov. 9, he was hit with a $40,000 fine and a public reprimand for his actions.
Now, more details are available about how that fine was paid.
A University of Utah spokesperson confirmed this week that the money to pay Harlan’s fine did not come out of university funds.
Shortly after the clock hit zeros in Utah’s 22-21 loss to BYU, Harlan was on the field, giving the referees a piece of his mind. Coach Kyle Whittingham did the same.
The ire centered on two plays on BYU’s final drive. The Cougars and BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff were facing fourth-and-10 on their own nine-yard line, and defensive end Logan Fano looked to have Retzlaff cornered in the end zone with nowhere to go. But before Fano could sack Retzlaff, referees blew their whistles. BYU coach Kalani Sitake had called a timeout before the play.
The teams came back on the field do to it all over again.
This time, Utah linebacker Karene Reid sacked Retzlaff, seemingly ending the game, but before Retzlaff went down, a flag was thrown. Referees called defensive holding on Zemaiah Vaughn, giving the Cougars an automatic first down and extending the drive.
Retzlaff marched down the field and got BYU into field-goal range, and kicker Will Ferrin nailed the 44-yard field goal to deliver the Cougars their second win in a row over their rivals to the north.
Replays — especially fan-shot videos on social media; ESPN had just one replay of the hold from a zoomed-out angle — would confirm that referees made the right call on the defensive holding sequence.
In the heat of the moment, however, Harlan walked into the press conference room and delivered a rant that will live forever in rivalry lore.
“I’ve been an athletic director for 12 years. This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight, I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed. I will talk to the (Big 12 Conference) commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
The Big 12 Conference publicly reprimanded Harlan and fined him $40,000 the next day.
“Mark’s comments irresponsibly challenged the professionalism of our officials and the integrity of the Big 12 Conference,” said commissioner Brett Yormark. “There is a right way and a wrong way to voice concerns. Unfortunately, Mark chose the wrong way. Accordingly, this violation warrants a public reprimand and financial penalty. The Big 12 Conference prioritizes professionalism, integrity, and fairness, and will continue to do so.”
Following the fine and reprimand, Harlan issued a statement.
“Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating. However, I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision,” Harlan said.
“My comments came after having just left our team locker room where our student-athletes were hurting and upset. The University of Utah is proud to be a member of the Big 12 Conference and we look forward to working with our peers to continue to enhance the league. BYU, Coach (Kalani) Sitake and their coaches and student-athletes are having a terrific season and we wish them the very best.”
Harlan was paid a base salary of $850,000 this year and a $150,000 retention bonus, according to his most recent contract extension.
The Big 12 has not yet responded to a request to know more about how the $40,000 will be used.