I have no reason to think that this is necessarily the case, but if there is any shred of truth to this comment, perhaps he's struggling to forgive BYU (and the LDS Church) for its racially discriminatory policies that existed until recent history. He is old enough to remember or even view first hand the many demonstrations against BYU athletics and the church in the late 60's and 70's. I'm not trying to call the church bigoted or racist, but for those who don't remember or are conveniently forgetting history, the church didn't allow people of black-African decent to hold the priesthood until 1978 and BYU didn't have black football player until 1972. Often times, first impressions have lasting effects. This is the environment Mark May would have likely first seen BYU athletics.

Those of us who aren't black, or are too young to remember, or perhaps grew up in the church, likely have gained some level of comfort with the fact that the church and BYU historically practiced discrimination. You may argue that it was divinely directed racial discrimination if you will, but by definition, it is still racial discrimination. Yes, it ended in the late 1970's when Mark May was nearly 20 years old once a revelation was finally received on the subject, but not until it had become a major public nightmare for the church and during Mark May's playing days at Pitt. Let's not forget the Mark May grew up in upstate New York relatively close to the Finger Lakes (which are near Palmyra and Hill Cumorah among other LDS historical sites), perhaps increasing the likelihood he had some familiarity with the church from a young age. So from the outside looking in, the BYU (and LDS Church) Mark May likely knew growing up was bigoted and its official policies were racially discriminatory by definition. There are many in the church who still believe that it was the threat of revocation of tax status that caused the revelation on the priesthood in 1978, and why wouldn't someone like Mark May distrust the church's motives on the subject?? Let's not be too quick to judge anyone as a bigot.