FORTH WORTH — TCU has revoked the Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s media credentials and cut the newspaper off from its football program, a decision that covers the TCU Horned Frogs‘ season opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland. Star-Telegram TCU beat writer Steven Johnson reported the ban. His report of a locker room assault at the John Justin Athletic Center led to a case filed with TCU campus police.
Johnson was told the decision stemmed from the player who was assaulted receiving threats in the days after the reporting published. Johnson did not name that player in his initial story. The player identified himself publicly three days later, in an Instagram video that has since been deleted.
Johnson is still traveling to Ireland this weekend. He will not have a credential for the game.
The Star-Telegram is the only newspaper that staffs TCU athletics full time. Johnson has covered the beat since 2024.
The Reporting Behind TCU’s Decision
TCU dismissed safety Jacob Fields on Aug. 18, five days after an altercation inside the John Justin locker rooms. A team spokesman said Fields had been “removed from our roster and will not be a member of our football team moving forward,” citing a violation of team rules.
According to the TCU crime and fire log, the incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 13 and was reported to campus police at 2:29 p.m. the following afternoon, logged as an aggravated assault. TCU general manager Ryan Dorchester contacted campus police on Aug. 14. The case remains open.
Fields joined the team offseason as a top portal addition. In 2025, he started 12 games at safety for Louisiana Tech, with 92 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 3 interceptions, and 5 pass breakups. Two interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He was the first Bulldogs DB to lead in tackles since 2014 and shared Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Junior wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma was the other player involved. A video of Ezukanma discussing the altercation posted on Instagram on Aug. 21, three days after the dismissal, then deleted. It showed Ezukanma tracing the tension to a block he put on Fields at TCU’s Aug. 12 practice.
“How you gon’ sucker punch me, bro,” Ezukanma said in the video.
The video also showed a text-message apology that a source close to Fields confirmed to the Star-Telegram had come from him. A TCU athletics spokesman declined to comment.
TCU Closed Practice Before the Credential Decision
TCU announced on the night of Aug. 20 that its Aug. 21 practice would be closed to reporters, according to The Athletic. TCU coach Sonny Dykes had been scheduled to meet with the media after that practice.
TCU has not issued a public statement on the credential decision. Dykes took questions at an open fall camp press conference on Aug. 15, six days before TCU closed the Friday practice.
TCU Opens the Season Saturday in Dublin
Kickoff at Aviva Stadium is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday on ESPN. TCU is playing a Week Zero game for the second time in program history, and the Aug. 29 date is the second-earliest opener the Horned Frogs have played, behind an Aug. 25, 2001 game against Nebraska.
The game is a rematch of the 2025 opener, which TCU won 48-14 at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Bill Belichick‘s college coaching debut. The Horned Frogs finished 9-4 last season and beat Southern California 30-27 in the Alamo Bowl. Dykes is entering his fifth season at TCU.
Graduate transfer Jaden Craig takes over at quarterback. Ezukanma played in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2025 and finished with 2 receptions for 28 yards without a touchdown. TCU removed Fields from its online roster.
