TCU coach Sonny Dykes addressed the locker room altercation that led to safety Jacob Fields’ dismissal for the first time Thursday in Ireland, and he made clear he doesn’t see it lingering into Saturday’s game against North Carolina.
Fields was dismissed from the program on Aug. 18 after striking wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma in a locker room altercation on Aug. 13. Ezukanma, who said in a now-deleted Instagram video that he was knocked unconscious, did not make the trip to Ireland, according to HornedFrogBlitz.
When asked about the “distraction,” Dykes said the Horned Frogs are built to handle it.
“I think every team faces challenges sometimes. You know, it’s an unfortunate thing that happened, like anything else.
Our guys are resilient,” Dykes said. “They move on and move on quickly.
It was interesting because I do think, again, this team is unusually tight. The guys get along better than they normally do.
The guys are unselfish and love each other, care about each other. It wasn’t anything that we expected.”
Dykes did not mention Fields by name, though he said the situation was not in keeping with the team or the player involved. Fields came to TCU from Louisiana Tech and had been in line to replace Bud Clark at free safety before his dismissal.
“It was something that was certainly out of character for the team and the young man that was involved,” Dykes said. “Look, you got 110 football players.
I mean, things happen sometimes. You’ve got to find ways to move through them, and, man, these young kids are resilient.”
He said the episode became a chance to teach.
“It’s like anything else, when something bad happens, it becomes a teaching moment,” Dykes added. “And so we were able to teach out players, and I think the guys are better off from having gone through it.”
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