U of U police arrest a man accused of throwing a water bottle that hit the BYU head coach

SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah police have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of assault in connection with a water bottle that hit Brigham Young University's head cheerleading coach.

In a news release, police said William Gardner was arrested Tuesday. Gardner, who police say is not a University of Utah student, is accused of throwing the water bottle onto the field after the BYU-Utah game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

U of U police said Gardner was arrested for Class A assault. Salt Lake County Jail records show Gardner was booked into jail Tuesday.

The water bottle ended up hitting Jocelyn Allan, who coaches cheerleading at BYU. Allan posted on social media over the weekend that the incident had caused her to lose consciousness. A BYU spokesman had no update on her condition as of late Tuesday afternoon and Allan did not respond to messages from KSL TV.

Meanwhile, new video — captured by Cougar fan Jessica Hellewell and first obtained by the Deseret News — shows a woman, believed to be Allan, being hit with the water bottle.

It was part of a chaotic and heated finish to the weekend rivalry football game in which Utah lost 22-21 to BYU.

After the game, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan spoke sharply to the media, criticizing the referees and the Big 12 Conference.

“I was really surprised,” former BYU athletic director Val Hale said of Harlan’s public comments. “I wasn’t at all surprised that he received a fine and a reprimand.”

But Hale said he was puzzled why the university itself remained silent, particularly President Taylor Randall, who joined BYU President Shane Reese before the game in urging civility.

“I definitely thought we would probably hear something from the U on Monday,” Hale said. “When we didn’t, I was a little surprised.”

KSL TV requested an interview with Randall on Tuesday, but that request was declined.

As for the U's athletic director, Hale said he doesn't know Harlan personally, but he knows what the job feels like.

“They (the University of Utah) were expected to compete for a spot in the national championship and then all of a sudden they lost five games in a row,” Hale said, “and the pressure on the athletic director is enormous.”

KSL TV also requested an interview with BYU President Shane Reese to discuss the fallout from the game, but he declined the request.