U of U police arrest man accused of throwing water bottle that hit BYU cheer coach
Nov 12, 2024, 5:20 PM | Updated: Nov 13, 2024, 5:22 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah police have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of assault in connection to a water bottle that hit Brigham Young University’s head cheerleading coach.
In a news release, police said William Gardner was arrested Tuesday. Gardner, who police said is not a student at the University of Utah, is accused of throwing the water bottle onto the field after the BYU-Utah game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
According to the arrest document, Gardner was in a suite with his family when he allegedly said “(expletive) BYU” and threw a disposable water bottle toward the BYU football team.
The water bottle ended up hitting Jocelyn Allan, who coaches cheer at BYU. Allan posted on social media over the weekend that the incident caused her to lose consciousness. The arrest document stated that the victim had symptoms of concussion and was being looked at by doctors.
A BYU spokesman did not have an update on her condition as of late Tuesday afternoon, and Allan did not respond to messages from KSL TV.
According to police, a witness and Gardner’s father called the U of U police on Sunday to report Gardner as the person who threw the water bottle.
U of U police said Gardner was arrested for a class A misdemeanor charge of assault. Salt Lake County Jail records show Gardner was booked into jail on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a new video—shot by Cougar fan Jessica Hellewell and first obtained by the Deseret News—shows a woman believed to be Allan getting hit with the water bottle.
It was part of a chaotic and heated end to the weekend’s rivalry football game in which Utah lost to BYU, 22-21.
After the game, Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan made charged comments to the media, criticizing the refs and the Big 12 Conference.
“I was really surprised,” said Val Hale, former athletic director at BYU, of Harlan’s public remarks. “I was not surprised at all that he got fined and reprimanded.”
But Hale said he is perplexed why the university itself has stayed silent, especially President Taylor Randall, who joined BYU President Shane Reese ahead of the game to urge civility.
“I definitely thought we would hear something from the U, probably Monday,” Hale said. “When we didn’t, yes, I was a little surprised.”
Val Hale speaking to KSL TV about the remarks that Mark Harlan gave about the game. (Stuart Johnson, KSL TV)
KSL TV requested an interview on Tuesday with Randall, but that request was declined.
As for the U’s athletic director, Hale said he doesn’t know Harlan personally, but he does know how the job feels.
“They (the University of Utah) were expected to contend for a spot in the national championship, and then suddenly they’ve lost five games in a row,” said Hale, “and the pressure on the athletic director is intense.”
KSL TV also asked for an interview with BYU President Shane Reese to discuss the game’s aftermath, but he declined the request.
Contributing: Michael Houck, KSL TV
