TCU rescinds Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials over reporting on a locker room altercation

TCU has rescinded media credentials for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after a dispute over the paper’s reporting on a locker room incident that led to the dismissal of senior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.

The Star-Telegram revealed the university’s decision in its own report on Wednesday.

“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,” the paper’s report read. “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.”

Fields was dismissed from the team on Aug. 18 for what the school described as “a violation of team rules.” The Star-Telegram subsequently reported that evening that the dismissal came after a physical altercation in the locker room the prior week. The paper’s initial report cited “a source close to Fields” that said he “felt targeted by teammates with insults and threats,” which ultimately led to the altercation. The source added that the TCU coaching staff made “no attempts to de-escalate the brewing tension.”

Three days later, the Star-Telegram filed another report with a new source that clarified Fields’ actions came from “tensions brewing from competitive football and some questionable plays in practice,” rather than bullying. After the follow-up report, Ezukanma posted his now-deleted Instagram video that included his version of events. Ezukanma claimed Fields hit him from behind, and another person in the video said the hit caused Ezukanma to fall unconscious. “How you gon’ sucker punch me, bro? That’s your teammate,” Ezukanma said in the video, per the Star-Telegram.

In a statement to the Star-Telegram on Tuesday, TCU blamed the paper for endangering the well-being of its student-athlete, which the university says justifies revoking the paper’s credentials.

“Our primary focus is the health and well-being of our student-athlete,” TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said in a statement Tuesday. “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.

“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 is the only publication with a dedicated full-time staff covering TCU football, the paper says. Steven Johnson, a reporter for the paper, was set to travel to Dublin, Ireland, for the Horned Frogs’ opener against North Carolina on Saturday, but his credential has been revoked. TCU, as the designated home team, has the right to determine who is credentialed for the game.

Shehan Jeyarajah, the president of the Football Writers Association of America, came out in defense of the Star-Telegram on Wednesday, demanding Johnson’s credential be reinstated.

As president of @TheFWAA, I strongly disagree with TCU’s decision to ban the Star-Telegram from coverage.

Steven Johnson has covered TCU with class for years and his credential to cover the game in Ireland should be reinstated immediately.https://t.co/ZhDc4lIhXepic.twitter.com/JH0P9knHKc

— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) August 26, 2026

“As president of [the Football Writers Association of America], I strongly disagree with TCU’s decision to ban the Star-Telegram from coverage,” Jeyarajah wrote. “Steven Johnson has covered TCU with class for years and his credential to cover the game in Ireland should be reinstated immediately.”

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