Texas Christian University has pulled the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials to cover Horned Frogs athletics after accusing the newspaper of publishing inaccurate information about an August 13 locker room altercation and saying the coverage resulted in threats against a student-athlete and his family.
TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Buddie said the university’s primary concern was the student-athlete’s health and well-being.
“Our primary focus is the health and wellbeing of our student athlete,” Buddie said in a statement Tuesday.
Buddie said an unnamed source used in the newspaper’s initial reporting lacked firsthand knowledge of the incident and provided inaccurate information that TCU disputed. He said the reporting advanced a narrative that endangered the athlete and resulted in threats against him and his family.
TCU said it would withhold the media credential until athletics officials and the newspaper’s sports reporting team hold additional discussions. The university has not publicly identified what must happen before it restores the credentials.
TCU disputes initial reporting
TCU dismissed senior safety Jacob Fields on August 18 for what the university described as a violation of team rules. The Star-Telegram reported later that day that Fields’ dismissal followed an August 13 physical altercation in the John Justin Athletic Center locker room.
The newspaper’s initial report cited a source it described as having direct knowledge of the incident. The source said Fields believed teammates had targeted him with insults and threats before the confrontation and alleged the coaching staff failed to de-escalate growing tensions.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes and athletics spokesman Kyle Neaves declined to comment for the original report, according to the Star-Telegram. The newspaper later reported that TCU officials disputed the source’s account in conversations with its staff but did not provide the university’s version of events for publication.
A TCU campus police report shows the August 13 incident was reported to campus police the following day. The mostly redacted report identified the reporting party only by the title of general manager for TCU football. TCU’s athletics directory lists Ryan Dorchester as the program’s general manager.
Second source gives different account
On August 21, another person authorized to speak for Fields and his family disputed parts of the earlier source’s account. That source said Fields and his family did not believe he had faced bullying or mistreatment before the incident. The source instead attributed the tensions to competitive football and questionable plays during practice.
Later that day, junior wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma publicly identified himself as the other player involved in the altercation in a now-deleted Instagram video.
Ezukanma said Fields struck him from behind following tensions at practice. An adult man appearing with Ezukanma in the video said the receiver lost consciousness when his head hit the floor. The Star-Telegram reported that it could not independently verify the man’s identity.
The Star-Telegram did not identify Ezukanma in its initial August 18 report. The newspaper named him only after he publicly identified himself three days later.
Football Writers Association of America President Shehan Jeyarajah publicly opposed TCU’s decision Wednesday and called for reporter Steven Johnson’s credential to be reinstated.
Star-Telegram has not been locally owned since 1974
The Star-Telegram maintains a Fort Worth newsroom, but the newspaper has not been locally or Texas owned since 1974, when the Carter family sold it to New York-based Capital Cities Communications.
The newspaper later became part of Sacramento, California-based McClatchy after McClatchy acquired Knight Ridder in 2006.
McClatchy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. New Jersey-based Chatham Asset Management subsequently acquired substantially all of McClatchy’s assets for approximately $312 million, with the transaction closing September 4, 2020. The Star-Telegram was among the McClatchy newspapers included under the new ownership.
McClatchy remains privately held by Chatham. The Star-Telegram’s own ownership disclosure identifies McClatchy as its parent company and Chatham as McClatchy’s owner.
Johnson heads to Ireland without credential
The credential dispute comes days before TCU opens its season against North Carolina on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland.
Star-Telegram TCU beat writer Steven Johnson still plans to travel to Ireland. An Aer Lingus College Football Classic spokesperson confirmed that TCU, as the designated home team, controls U.S. media credentials for the game and that Johnson’s credential had been revoked.
TCU has not announced when the Star-Telegram’s credentials could be restored.
Provided by Dallas Express
