This is the kind of thing that could, eventually, lead the BOT to disband the FB program or athletics in general.

BYU football is only an effective missionary tool if--

--They play a unique and exciting brand of football
--They play hard and win a lot of games
--The lose with grace and they win with dignity
--They are disciplined in their play, and exhibit good sportsmanship--few penalties, very few personal fouls, and never taunting, or attacking, or degrading other players in any way
--In the heat of the battle, when they are attacked (either verbally or physically) they turn the other cheek instead of responding in kind.
--When disputes occur, they are peacemakers, not instigators or retaliators

Regardless of who started things, at the very least BYU lost a huge opportunity to show how they are different from some other teams, in a good way. At the worst they have turn the opinions of some watching against them, and solidified the feeling in others that BYU is just a bunch of holier-than-thou thugs.

Regardless of what ignited the brawl, BYU's actions led to the program taking several major steps back, and I'm not talking about the product on the field.

I'm sure there will be discussions at high levels in the days and weeks to come about the value of BYU athletics, especially football.