UT-Austin football players say donor anger led to “Eyes of Texas” mandate

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Athletic officials at the University of Texas told Longhorn footballers in October that they should stay on the field for “The Eyes of Texas” after the game, singing along with fans because donors were upset by athletes protesting the game day tradition, said two Longhorn soccer players at The Texas Tribune.

Previously, some college athletes had chosen not to compete after multiple competitions, as the song had become a flash point over the summer – especially for black college athletes – given the alma materlied’s historic ties to campus minstrel shows.

The footballers said that in a meeting with the players after the game in Oklahoma, athletics officials referred to emails from donors who said the protests could affect their job prospects after graduation. At least one other player, former defensive linebacker Caden Sterns, made a similar claim in a tweet on Monday, but declined to be interviewed.

‘They said you didn’t have to sing it all. But you all have to stay on the field. You all should go there and at least show the fans’ appreciation for coming out and watching you guys, ”said junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in a phone interview Tuesday.

Athletics director Chris Del Conte said on Wednesday that he had not heard that donors or alumni had threatened employment opportunities, adding that he was concerned that players were impressed. He denied that players were forced to stay on the field.

“We just asked for their help – no one was forced or obliged to do so,” he said in a statement.

But the players said the mandate showed them that college officials preferred donor wishes over the members of the team, some of whom had been in opposition last summer and fell over their rejection of the song.

“It was really eye-opening,” said Overshown. “These are some powerful people who come to see you play who can prevent you from getting a job in the state of Texas. It was shocking that they said that. To this day I still think back to the moment. They really used that as a threat to make us try to do what they wanted us to do. “

A second player, who was on the team during the 2020 season, shared a similar memory of meeting the Tribune. That player asked not to be named for fear of retaliation from the university and donors. He said it was Del Conte who told the players that backers were unhappy and threatened to withdraw financial support.

“He kept saying these guys took care of this for you. … He said, ‘We have donors talking about raising money from the Southern End Zone [stadium addition project]and stop their donations, ”said the second player.

Overshown declined to name the athletic officials, but the second player said it was former head coach Tom Herman and Del Conte who conveyed the donor’s feelings.

Del Conte denied that he had made such a statement or that donors had passed on those comments.

“I never said this, nor did I say this to a student athlete, and I have never heard it from donors or alumni. My message has always been about unity. I’m disappointed if something someone else said to our student athletes made them feel that way. That worries me, ”he said in an emailed statement. “I have spoken to several student athletes about this and I am happy to talk to everyone to let them know that this is not true. I’ve only seen our alumni work to support our student athletes. “

Herman, who left college after being fired in January, was unavailable for comment.

The Dallas Morning News previously reported that students were told to stay on the field for ‘The Eyes’ during the post-game meeting with Del Conte and Herman in Oklahoma, when former quarterback Sam Ehlinger made headlines for being alone on the field stood during the game after the game. tradition when players typically sing the alma mater song with fans.

At the time, Del Conte said he was clarifying his expectations for players.

“I want to make it clear that I have had many conversations with our head coaches in which I outlined my expectations that our teams will show appreciation for our university, fans and supporters by standing together as a united group for ‘The Eyes’, while we this problem works. Del Conte wrote in his weekly message to fans at the time.

Sterns, the former defender, tweeted on Monday that donors had jeopardized players’ future job prospects.

“My teammates and I were threatened by some alumni that we would have to find a job outside of Texas if we didn’t participate,” He wrote.

Sterns declined to comment on this article, saying he was focused on the NFL draft.

“I have nothing but love for UT and Texas, I just want to help make it a better place as much as possible,” he told the Tribune via a direct message on Twitter.

His tweet was in response to a Tribune article that showed that at least 75 alumni and donors were sending emails to UT-Austin president Jay Hartzell threatening to withdraw funding if the university abolished the ‘Eyes of Texas’ .

The song has been the center of a firestorm since last summer, when athletes and students called on the school to stop singing after games. The song – played to the tune of “I’ve Been Working the Railroad” – was historically performed at campus minstrel shows, and the title is linked to a saying by Confederate Army Commander Robert E. Lee.

Overshown, who was one of the more outspoken players, briefly boycotted team training in early July, but returned after UT-Austin announced a series of changes in response to calls from students about improving racial equality on campus.

Emails the Tribune had received in a public request showed that many alumni, backers and fans were outraged by images of Ehlinger only after the Oklahoma post-game song. The rest of the team had withdrawn from the field. (Ehlinger later said he only stuck on the field to talk to coaches.)

“The photos I see on social media of Sam Ehlinger standing alone after the match with his horns on the fight song made me sick,” one person who identified as a 25-year subscription holder wrote to Hartzell. Their name was edited by UT-Austin, citing open filing laws protecting certain donor identities.

“These young men came to college knowing what was expected of them … one of these things has ALWAYS been to respect the university and its traditions. Take it or leave it. How dare they accept scholarships and disrespect this university with their pettiness … “

Multiple emails sent to the president from June to the end of October urged college officials to punish students who broke tradition.

“You tell those ‘students’ who don’t want to play, they’re out of the band and let the others play,” wrote Linden R. Welsch, class of 1969, to Hartzell after it was announced that the Longhorn Band wouldn’t. play the alma mater after the football game against Baylor University. “This is the same problem you have with the soccer team. You let the prisoners run the shelter. You let political correctness / social justice or whatever take over and have lost control. It’s stupid and a total lack of leadership. “

Welsch, who calls The Alcalde alumni magazine a ‘Life Member’ college donor, told the Tribune that the email summarized his concerns and that he had no additional comments.

On Tuesday morning, Hartzell released a statement responding to the Tribune’s article about donors’ emails.

“People who attack our students with hateful views do not represent the values ​​of the Longhorn community,” he said. “A few extremist views in the sample of emails reported by the Texas Tribune do not speak to the 540,000 proud Longhorn alumni who actively support our students and university. Of the many emails I received this fall, a very small number contained comments that were truly repugnant and hateful. I categorically reject them, and they do not affect any aspect of our decision-making. “

“Just because we don’t all agree on our school song doesn’t mean we don’t all belong.”

Of the 300 emails sent to the president’s office between June and October, only 11 explicitly urged Hartzell to rid the school of the song. About 70% pleaded and demanded that the song stay. The rest did not give an opinion to remove or keep the number.

UT-Austin senior Connor O’Neill, a co-director of the Longhorn Athletic Agency, a group that gives a voice to student athletes within the student government, said student leaders were largely unhappy with Hartzell’s statement.

“President Hartzell basically said these were just a few thousand fans, but the problem is you know those few people are the ones with a lot of power,” he said. “They are the donors who give millions of dollars and the ones who say ‘shut up and dribble’.”

Hartzell said the Eyes of Texas History Committee, which was organized to study the song’s history, will release its report next week. He said the university community can continue the conversation about the song if it is “equipped with a set of common facts.”

Two weeks after the team meeting last October, the Texas Longhorns played against Baylor University in Austin and won. After the game, the whole team walked over to the fan section to listen while an audio recording of “The Eyes of Texas” was played. The Longhorn Band couldn’t find enough members to play the necessary instruments, another controversy that sparked another wave of angry donor emails.

For Overshown, standing on the field after the game against Baylor was another moment of clarity.

“It made me realize what people here are going to do with money,” said Overshown. “The fact that someone said he was 100% behind us, but it’s about money and the donors and what they want, it’s a whole different story.”

As the song played, he grabbed one knee.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, unbiased news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no part in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a full list here.