TEXAS COACH STRONG SHRUGS OFF TALK OF FIRING, FOCUSES ON TCU
Charlie Strong certainly has heard the reports that he will be fired by Texas, but he made it clear Monday that he wants to stay.
“Next year, I want to come back,” Strong said at his weekly news conference in Austin, attended by dozens of Longhorns players. “They said we will be evaluated after that game. I don’t know how they will be thinking, but winning that game would help.”
Strong said he has turned his focus to the Longhorns’ final regular-season game against TCU on Friday with the hope of getting his seniors to a bowl game. Strong also vehemently denied any possibility of a boycott by his players.
Strong spoke to Texas athletics director Mike Perrin on Sunday and reinforced what the AD said in a statement — that he’ll be evaluated after the end of the regular season. “We’ll discuss where things stand after that,” Perrin said in the statement.
Still, there’s no hiding that Strong ’s dismissal appears imminent after suffering an embarrassing 24-21 overtime loss to bottom-feeder Kansas last Saturday in which the Longhorns (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. It was the Jayhawks’ first victory against Texas since 1938.
“I know the wins and losses don’t stack up,” said Strong, who is 16-20 in three years at Texas.
Strong expressed frustration with reports saying he’d been fired filtering to his players and said he’s done his best to refocus them on Friday’s game.
“When they’re playing the way they’re playing, they’re playing not to lose, they feel like they’re playing for the coaching staff,” Strong said. “I told them (for Friday) to loosen up and have fun. You owe it to yourself.”
Strong also addressed rumors that members of the team would boycott Friday’s game, saying, “They won’t boycott this game. That’s not going to happen.”
Several players have come to Strong ’s defense on social media, pointing out his impact off the field stretches further than wins and losses.
“I know how important wins and losses are,” Strong said. “Also, there’s the overall development of a young man. ... Young people today, if you look at society, there’s no discipline. For young people, it’s my job when they leave a program to understand who they are, what their image is about and what platform they have. ... They’re counting on you. Some of these young kids have never had direction, never had a father figure.”
If he’s fired after the TCU game, Strong will be owed a $10.7 million buyout for the remaining two years on his contract, a fee that would be reduced if he takes another job.