Following Texas Longhorns' head coach Charlie Strong's decision to discipline eight of his players, the team is speaking out and standing by their coach.
"We paid for it for a while," injured running back Johnathan Gray said. "When those guys keep constantly messing up, it becomes an issue with them and the coach, and that's when they need to step in and tell the kid, ‘Hey, you've got to get your act right and if not, you're off the team.' So that's just one of those things that Coach Strong doesn't tolerate, and he deals with it."
"It hurts the team, me and all of our players," Gray said. "Everybody that's on the team, we need them. It kind of hurts to see guys that really don't care about football or really don't care about the team do that type of stuff. What has to be done has to be done."
Quarterback David Ash also commented on the situation, saying that his teammates need to be fully committed to the program in order to be successful.
"If you want to be a part of this team, you are going to have to follow the rules, you are going to have to be committed and do things right," Ash said. "If you don't want to do that, you can't be a part of this team. That doesn't mean we can't still be friends with them, doesn't mean we can't be buddies with them. But if they can't be all-in, they can't be a part."
Receivers Montrel Meander and Kendall Sanders, defensive back Chevoski Collins and running backs Jalen Overstreet and Joe Bergeron were all dismissed from the team.
In addition to the dismissals, Strong suspended offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, safety Josh Turner and wide receiver Daje Johnson for one game with the possibility of more.
