Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte didn’t leave much room for interpretation after the Longhorns’ viral celebrations in Saturday’s 20-17 win over Tennessee in Knoxville.
In his weekly newsletter, Del Conte blasted the conduct of defensive end Colin Simmons and running back Raleek Brown, calling the moment “embarrassing” for the university and saying it crossed a line that Texas won’t accept.
Simmons drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag after “simulating using the restroom” following a sack of Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon. Brown, meanwhile, drew attention for his own celebration after scoring his second touchdown, though he was not flagged.
Del Conte did not name either player directly, but his message made clear who he was talking about. “I'm not happy about that, I know none of us are, and it was embarrassing to our proud and widely respected football team, athletics program and university,” Del Conte wrote.
“It certainly raised very warranted concerns that many of you shared with me, drew a lot of attention, and I understand why. ... It is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
The message is clear - the players' conduct did not reflect the values of Texas Athletics or our university and cannot happen again.”
He also issued an apology to the Longhorn community while describing both players as “good people who made poor choices.”
“I also want to add my apology to our Longhorn community and everyone who expects better from Texas,” Del Conte wrote. “We should represent this university with class, dignity and respect at all times, and in those moments, we fell short.
I do recognize that these are young men who made mistakes, and this is a meaningful learning experience. They have owned their mistakes, and those actions are not reflective of who they are.
They are good people who made poor choices - they know it, we know it, and they, along with our entire team, will grow from this.”
Simmons’ day was still a monster on the field. He finished with a career-high 5.5 sacks, setting a Texas single-game program record.
Brown, starting in place of Hollywood Smothers, who was nursing an injury, carried 17 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
Texas now goes into a bye week before meeting Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10.
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