TCU Bans Hometown Newspaper After Locker Room Fight Report

On Aug. 23, Texas Christian University Athletics announced they were pulling the credentials for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The announcement came after the paper reported on a locker room fight that led to the hospitalization of wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma and the expulsion from the team of a high-profile transfer player, Jacob Fields. According to TCU spokesperson Kyle Neaves, the credentials were pulled because the newspaper's source "lacked direct firsthand knowledge of the locker-room incident and has since been discredited.” This all started on Aug. 18, when TCU announced that Fields was dismissed from the team due to an undisclosed "violation of team rules." The Star-Telegram's TCU beat reporter, Steven Johnson, investigated the situation, relying on both an unnamed source and the university's public crime log to find information about the altercation between players on the football team. The source claimed that Fields had been targeted by other teammates, with coaches doing nothing to de-escalate the issue, which eventually led to the confrontation. The Star-Telegram's initial reporting stated only that Fields had been removed following a locker room fight with an offensive player, but did not name the other player involved. On Aug. 21, the Star-Telegram identified Ezukanma, after the player posted a since-deleted Instagram video detailing his hospitalization for a brain bleed and concussion. The Star-Telegram also updated their original reporting after a second source who claimed to speak on behalf of Fields and his family disputed the original reporting that Fields had been mistreated or bullied. Fields has since been arrested for the altercation. All the while, officials and coaches for TCU, including head coach Sonny Dykes, have remained silent and unwilling to speak to reporters.

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