Boise State University president Bob Kustra just made things a lot more interesting for his Broncos when they come to Moscow to face the Idaho Vandals in the Governor's Cup on November 12.
In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Kustra said he doesn't care if his Broncos ever play the Vandals again, after Boise State moves to the Mountain West Conference in 2011. But when asked about a recent article in the Argonaut, Idaho's student newspaper, Kustra let his true feelings fly.
The following is a media member's dream and a publicist's worst nightmare:
"This is a great example of why my wife and I no longer travel to Moscow games,'' Kustra said. "It's a culture that is nasty, inebriated and civilly doesn't give our fans the respect that any fan should expect when visiting an away team. ... I don't think at Boise State you're going to find that, so for me personally, when I read what Pete (BSU football coach Chris Peterson) said I knew, I knew."
Wow. But wait, there's more.
"For me, this is not about football. For me, this is a cultural issue. It's about fans having to learn how to treat other fans and universities. What bothers me more than anything else, is that the fans are not about denigrating our athletic program. ... What bothers me personally is the denigration of our academic programming. That's what I simply can't tolerate."
Come on, Bob. Who doesn't make fun of Boise State's academic programming? Many fans in the Northwest, and not just Vandals fans, still refer to your school Boise Junior College. Don't you know those types of comments happen in nearly every football rivalry across the country?
John Blanchette of the Spokesman Review even chimed in on the issue Wednesday.
You would have thought someone would have put a muzzle on Kustra, as soon as he started popping off. But now this story has blown into something that won't die anytime soon and will only fan the flames of this rivalry in the Gem State.
And just wait until November 6 when those "nasty, inebriated" Vandals fans get their chance to respond at the Kibbie Dome. That might be bigger than the game itself.
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