Texas: We Haven't Officially Decided To Fire Charlie Strong Yet

Emma Baccellieri|published: Sun 20th November, 20:10 2016

Photo Credit: Scott Halleran/ [object Object]

Hours after the Austin American-Statesman reported today that Texas officials had decided to fire head football coach Charlie Strong, the university released a statement dismissing the “rumors.” But their statement didn’t express support for Strong either, saying they would “evaluate the body of work after the regular season.”

The possibility of Strong’s firing has been a hot topic recently, with ESPN reporting earlier this week that boosters were pressuring the school to replace him, and a loss to Kansas yesterday made the end of his time at Texas seem imminent. The American-Statesman reported that the university had decided to fire Strong and an announcement would be coming soon—maybe Monday, quoting an anonymous “high-ranking” school source who said, “It will happen for sure. The question is when.”

That official did not say the university had told Strong about the decision—“He knows what is coming,” the official said when asked—and ESPN reported that Strong had not been informed as of Sunday night. Shortly thereafter, Texas men’s athletic director Mike Perrin released a statement acknowledging the “rumors” and saying Strong would be evaluated after the season ends.

Strong is 5-6 this year and has a 16-20 record in his three seasons at Texas. Saturday’s game against TCU is the last of the regular season.

[ Austin American-Statesman]