MISSOULA — The Big Sky Conference is fining Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion for comments made about officiating, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.
"The Big Sky Conference has reprimanded Sacramento State football coach Brennan Marion for violating the Big Sky’s Sportsmanship Policy," the conference issued in a statement. "Additionally, Marion will be issued a $10,000 fine and has been informed that a repeat of such behavior could result in a more severe penalty."
“I want to make it abundantly clear that publicly questioning the integrity of our officials and the Conference Office will not be tolerated,” Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said in the release. “Professionalism, integrity, and fairness are the foundation of who we are, and all institutional personnel must recognize the responsibility they carry as examples for our student-athletes, campus communities, and the Big Sky Conference.”
Big Sky Issues Reprimand and Fine of Sacramento State Football Coach Brennan Marion pic.twitter.com/SI9PuFmO7O
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) October 29, 2025
It's the latest in what's been an eventful fall for the Hornets. Last week, Sacramento State hosted then-No. 4 Montana in a nationally televised game on Friday. In the leadup to the game, Sacramento State president Dr. Luke Wood made a number of verbal jabs at UM, including calling Montana the "pandas" and saying the Griz "haven't played nobody this season" while adding "I feel bad for their fans, you know, that have to experience a loss like that on the road."
Griz head coach Bobby Hauck responded by calling Wood a "clown" last Monday. In a game that had plenty of back-and-forth play between the teams on the field and chippy moments before and after the contest, Montana would go on to win 49-35 behind a big game from Sacramento native Michael Wortham.
In a video making the rounds on social media from Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento on Tuesday, Marion, currently in his first season as Sacramento State's head coach, is seen questioning whether comments made by Wood in the summer calling the FCS level "JV" football were affecting how the Hornets were being officiated by the conference. Sacramento State is leaving the Big Sky at the end of this season in all sports, and Wood has been vocal how he wants the football program to jump up to the FBS level.
"People are upset about the comments made... and people obviously want to make us pay for those comments" @SacHornetsFB leads the @BigSkyConf in penalties by a wide margin: 72 flags for 573 yards and 8 touchdowns called back this season.Head coach @BrennanMarion4 believes the… pic.twitter.com/Wrl9KJcYV9
— Jake Gadon (@JakeGadon_TV) October 29, 2025
"Comments were made in the summertime that did not reflect our program or me myself making the comment, and I think everybody took that comment to heart and really has ran with it," Marion said. "It's been really disheartening to our program and our players that we get labeled as an undisciplined program from the standpoint that every team we play just becomes the most undisciplined team in the country and we end up being 10 to 1 penalties every single game that we play.
"Unfortunately I can't control people's perception on what happened on those comments, but it's just unfortunate for our kids and our players that we got seniors that are getting looked at by the NFL and they return a kickoff return touchdown and we get a call or stuff like that. We've had eight touchdowns called back, which any other program I've been a part of we don't have to deal with this. It's usually fair, it's five penalties to five penalties or six penalties to six penalties. So if you look back at my career and my resume as a coach, we were a very disciplined program and we did things the right way and we are about sportsmanship.
"So, unfortunately, people are upset about the comments made and people have a human element to them where they obviously want to make us pay for those comments. But, 10 to 1 penalties every game, we can pretend like we're an undisciplined program, but that doesn't happen, the other team makes penalties, as well. If it was seven to six, or eight to four, it would be like, OK, yeah, it's a football game, there's things that happen, but we're the most penalized team in the country right now, I think."
Sacramento State currently leads the Big Sky in penalties with 72 this season for 573 yards. Cal Poly is second in the league with 50 for 464 yards.
While not quite the most penalized team in the country, the Hornets aren't far off as they rank tied for 118th out of 126 teams in penalties with South Carolina State. Norfolk State, which is coached by first-year head coach Michael Vick, ranks last in the FCS with 82 penalties called this season.
Against the Griz, the Hornets were whistled and enforced on 10 penalties for 80 yards, including a holding call on a kickoff return touchdown by Rodney Hammond Jr. that negated the score early in the second quarter not long after UM had tied it 14-14. Montana was called for just one penalty for five yards.
Sac State (4-4, 2-2 Big Sky) continues its season this Saturday at Eastern Washington (4-4, 3-1).
