We are calling for the removal of Brian Santiago as Athletic Director because the concerns surrounding his leadership have moved beyond simple disagreements about how BYU Athletics should be run. This is about trust, accountability, transparency, and the future of BYU football.

Recent information has intensified those concerns. Multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation have described a significant disconnect between what is actually happening behind the scenes and what fans are being led to believe. According to these accounts, information has been selectively shared or framed to make it appear that Santiago is addressing Kalani Sitake’s concerns and repairing their relationship when those concerns remain unresolved.

If accurate, this isn’t just poor communication. It’s manipulation.

An Athletic Director’s job is not to control the narrative. It is to build trust with coaches, employees, donors, players, university leadership, and fans. There is a growing perception that Santiago has repeatedly made commitments without following through on them. When an AD gives his word to coaches and employees, that word has to mean something.

Most concerning is the reported deterioration of his relationship with Kalani Sitake. Kalani has built BYU football into a nationally relevant Big 12 program while representing the university exceptionally well. If this relationship has deteriorated to the point where BYU is effectively being forced to choose between Kalani and Santiago, university leadership needs to act.

There are broader concerns about Santiago’s leadership as well. Many supporters believe basketball has increasingly received preferential attention while football has struggled to receive the administrative support and alignment it needs. BYU basketball’s success should absolutely be supported—but BYU should be capable of aggressively supporting both programs.

There are also legitimate questions surrounding the athletic department’s internal culture. Employees have reportedly left amid frustration with leadership, communication, and broken trust. Turnover alone proves nothing, but when multiple departures accompany the same concerns about leadership, BYU should take them seriously.

Perhaps most troubling are allegations that misleading information has deliberately been circulated to influential members of the fan community to shape public perception. Fans understand that sensitive negotiations cannot always be public. Confidentiality is necessary. Intentionally feeding people false or misleading information to make Santiago appear more supported—or make it appear that problems have been solved when they haven’t—is entirely different.

BYU fans should not be used as part of an internal PR campaign.

This petition isn’t about one rumor or one disagreement. It is about an alleged pattern: manipulating information, failing to fulfill commitments, employee dissatisfaction and departures, perceived favoritism toward basketball, deteriorating trust with football leadership, and managing public perception instead of solving the underlying problems.

An Athletic Director should bring an athletic department together. His word should carry weight. Coaches should trust him. Employees should want to work for him. And fans should never have to wonder whether information is being deliberately manipulated to protect his position.

If BYU has reached the point where retaining Brian Santiago threatens its ability to retain the trust and leadership of Kalani Sitake and the football program, the choice should be clear.

BYU Athletics is bigger than any one administrator.

We call upon BYU leadership to immediately investigate these concerns and, if they are substantiated, remove Brian Santiago as Athletic Director and install leadership capable of rebuilding trust throughout BYU Athletics.