TCU football pulls reporter credential after assault story

TCU pulled the credentials of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram following the newspaper's reporting of an assault that took place in the football team's locker room.

The Star-Telegram revealed its access to the team was rescinded on Wednesday, Aug. 26, saying that the school made the decision due to the victim of the assault allegedly receiving threats of the news.

"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," the Star-Telegram said in a statement.

TCU athletic director Mike Buddie defended the decision, saying in a statement the school's focus is the health and wellbeing of our student athlete.

"Unfortunately, an unnamed source without first-hand knowledge of the incident provided inaccurate information cited in initial reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which we strongly disputed," Buddie said. "The inclusion of the misinformation advanced a narrative that endangered a student-athlete and resulted in threats to him and his family. These actions led to the decision to withhold the media credential until additional conversation can be held between athletics and the sports reporting team. We remain dedicated to restoring our student to health as well as focusing on the game that's ahead."

The Star-Telegram said TCU did not specify what would need to be done to gain access back. The decision comes less than a week before the Horned Frogs open the football season against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, Aug. 29. The publication noted its beat writer is traveling to the game, and his credential for it was revoked since TCU is the designated home team, therefore it can determine who is credentialed.

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What incident led to TCU revoking credentials?

The episode began with the Star-Telegram's report on Aug. 18 after safety Jacob Fields was dismissed from the program from what TCU said was "a violation of team rules."

The story from the newspaper reported Fields got into an altercation with an offensive player and allegedly struck a him. The incident led to a TCU football staffer contacting campus police that was listed as an aggravated assault that "occurred in the men's locker room" that took place on Aug. 13 at 1:30 p.m., according to a police report. The staffer's statement was redacted from the report, but included the responding officer told the member to have the victim contact police for more information into an investigation and possibly filing charges.

"This is an ongoing investigation, and we are limited in what information we can release at this time," TCU chief of police Robert Rangel said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.

While the Star-Telegram did not name the victim, junior wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma identified himself in a now-deleted Instagram video he was the person that was involved in the incident, which led TCU to its decision.

The Star-Telegram noted it is the only media outlet that covers TCU athletics on a full-time basis, including beat writers, photographers and columnists.

Shehan Jeyarajah, the president of the Football Writers Association of America, condemned the decision on social media .

"I strongly disagree with TCU's decision to ban the Star-Telegram from coverage," he wrote. "Steven Johnson has covered TCU with class for years and his credential to cover the game in Ireland should be reinstated immediately."