TCU has reportedly rescinded the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials and banned the newspaper from covering Horned Frog athletics after the newspaper’s reporting on the Aug. 13 locker room assault that led the team to dismiss potential starting safety Jacob Fields.
Star-Telegram sports editor Jim Barnes wrote on Aug. 26 that the university decided to ban the newspaper “because the coverage resulted in threats to the victim”. Barnes wrote that the university’s officials “have not defined what criteria
would need to be met to restore the credentials.”
The Star-Telegram reported that TCU dismissed Fields from the football team due to a violation of team rules. The Star-Telegram then reported the evening of Aug. 18 that the dismissal occurred after a physical altercation with a teammate, later identified in a now-deleted Instagram post as wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma.
The article cited a source close to Fields that said the player “felt targeted by teammates with insults and threats” leading up to the altercation and that TCU coaches made “no attempts to de-escalate the brewing tension.”
Barnes wrote that TCU officials “disputed the source’s account of what led to the attack in conversations with the Star-Telegram, but they have declined to provide the university’s version of events for publication.”
Three days after the Star-Telegram’s Aug. 18 story, reporter Steven Johnson wrote a second story, which cited another source close to Fields. This source, authorized to speak on behalf of Fields and his family, disputed claims made in the first report.
According to the Aug. 21 story, the source provided “different context, including Fields and his family’s belief that he didn’t face bullying or mistreatment leading up to the incident. Instead, the source attributes Fields’ actions to tensions brewing from competitive football and some questionable plays in practice.”
The story also states that “tensions between Fields and Ezukanma boiled over in an Aug. 12 practice when Fields took exception to a hard block. After practice on Aug. 13, Fields was involved in the physical altercation in the locker room…”
Johnson, who covers TCU for the Star-Telegram, had his credentials for Saturday’s Dublin game against North Carolina revoked due to the ban. The Horned Frogs lost to the Tar Heels 15-10. Jeremy Clark of HornedFrogBlitz reported on X that Ezukanma didn’t travel with the team.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes made his first public comments about the incident Thursday. In his media session, Dykes said the incident was “something that was certainly out of character for the team and the young man that was involved.”
Fields’ agent released a statement on Sunday. In the statement, Philip “Red” Miller says that “I understand the media and public may be looking for an explosive statement from Jacob or me. Now is not the time or the place. We will not try this case through social media or the court of public opinion. There is a proper place for the facts to be heard, and we will respect that process.”
Fields’ attorney also released a statement on Sunday. In the statement, Coby DuBose said that “I have been retained by Jacob Fields to represent him in Tarrant County. Jacob has been charged with aggravated assault after a locker room fight with a teammate. We agree with Coach Dykes that Jacob has a bright future, and I look forward to defending it.”
On Monday, Star-Telegram reporter Shambhavi Rimal cited an arrest warrant indicating Ezukanma was hospitalized for three days with a brain bleed after the assault. An article published Aug. 31 states Fields faces a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. He was released Sunday after posting $50,000 bond.
TCU’s next game will be Saturday, Sept. 12 against Grambling.
