TCU Pulls Star-Telegram Credentials 2 Days Before Opener Over Assault Report

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 27

TCU revoked the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s athletics credentials days before Saturday’s season opener against North Carolina in Dublin, leaving the paper’s beat reporter traveling to Ireland without press-box access.
Athletic director Mike Buddie said the move followed the paper’s locker-room assault report, arguing an unnamed source gave inaccurate information that fueled threats against a student-athlete and his family.
The report centered on senior safety Jacob Fields, who was dismissed from the team after allegedly assaulting wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma; Ezukanma later identified himself in a now-deleted Instagram video as the other player involved.
TCU has not clearly said what the newspaper must do to regain access, turning the dispute into a press-freedom fight just as the Horned Frogs open a 2026 season after a 9-4 campaign.