Our short, regional nightmare is over. TCU has restored the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s media credentials a little over a week after rescinding them.
“Today, TCU Athletics fully restored media credentials to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram,” read a short statement from TCU Athletics on Friday. “In a series of productive discussions, we made clear our position and resolved to move forward. We respect their role as an independent news source and voice in our community, and we look forward to the season ahead.”
On August 26, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the school had rescinded the news outlet’s media credentials after a dispute over the paper’s reporting on a locker room incident that led to the dismissal of senior safety Jacob Fields from the football team.
“In a phone conversation Sunday, a TCU athletics spokesman said the Star-Telegram’s credentials were being pulled because the coverage resulted in threats to the victim,” reporter Jim Barnes wrote. “The Star-Telegram did not identify the player, junior wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma, until three days after the initial report, when he identified himself in a now-deleted Instagram video.”
If the athletic department’s intention was to put pressure on the news outlet not to follow up on the story, it didn’t work. Shambhavi Rimal of the Star-Telegram reported that TCU wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma ended up in the hospital for three days with severe injuries after Fields punched and kicked him in the head.
“TCU football player Dozie Ezukanma was not sent to the ER for nearly two hours after he was attacked by a teammate in the locker room and suffered a concussion and brain bleed, according to TCU police,” longtime Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy posted on X.
TCU received extensive criticism for revoking the Star-Telegram‘s credentials. Clarence Hill Jr., President of the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists, and Shehan Jeyarajah, President of the Football Writers Association of America, were among those who shared support for the Star-Telegram and TCU beat writer Steven Johnson.
The Star-Telegram had said it would continue to cover TCU athletics even without access, but thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.