PROVO — This week’s insert of Sports Illustrated on Campus has been left out of the Brigham Young University student newspaper because it contained pictures of bare-bottomed runners.
BYU was among more than 70 college campuses selected by Sports Illustrated as test markets this fall for a new magazine aimed at college students. When S.I. contacted BYU, officials of the school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made it clear there would be no beer, no tobacco and no “racy presentations,” said Jim Kelly, general manager of NewsNet, the school’s combined student newspaper, Web and television news organization.

Magazine representatives agreed and The Daily Universe began inserting the 28-page magazine into the 18,500 papers it distributes across campus each Thursday. It ran the first week, but Universe staffers pulled the magazine last week because of a swimsuit ad and again this week after learning it would include an article about students playing sports nude. The story was accompanied by a photograph of nine bared male and female rear ends.

“We couldn’t run that article unless I tore out 18,500 copies of that picture,” said Casey Stauffer, advertising manager at the Universe.

NewsNet informed Sports Illustrated on Monday that it would not be inserting the magazine and copies of it were not sent to the university.

“They were completely supportive,” Kelly said. The contract between the magazine and the school allows Sports Illustrated to terminate the deal if NewsNet drops three inserts during the year.

“We may have to cancel the thing if this is going to continue on a regular basis,” said David Randall, managing editor of NewsNet.