SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Some of Utah's most influential Mormons, including Mitt Romney, Gov. Gary Herbert and the president of the Utah Jazz, lobbied to get the private, Mormon church-owned Brigham Young University an invitation to join the lucrative Big 12 athletic conference.
Jazz President Steve Starks said BYU was asked not to directly lobby other universities, so he instead worked to drum up support for the Provo school and enlisted help from the governor's office.
Big 12 university presidents and chancellors authorized Commissioner Bob Bowlsby to begin evaluating potential expansion candidates in July, and BYU was among several schools that made it clear they'd like to become members of the Power Five conference.
The expansion talk came as federal education officials investigate how the school handles sexual assault reports.
The scrutiny followed complaints from students and alumni about BYU's practice of opening honor code investigations of students who report sexual abuse.
Rachel Sanders, executive director of left-leaning watchdog group Alliance for a Better Utah, said elected officials shouldn't have tried to influence a sports issue, especially one involving a private school.
