‘A complete fabrication.’ SMU football responds to latest allegations made by TCU coach
SMU athletic director Rick Hart disputed the latest allegations TCU coach Gary Patterson leveled against the Mustangs’ football program.
During his midweek news conference on Tuesday, Patterson said he couldn’t substantiate claims that an SMU player used a helmet that injured TCU special assistant Jerry Kill during a postgame scuffle following Saturday’s game.
However, Patterson added a new allegation in saying SMU staged the flag-planting incident by its players that started the fight. Patterson backed up his claim by pointing to a SMU videographer being positioned to capture the entire moment on film.
“You don’t think it was planned? They had a media person from their office that was out filming the flag getting set in the middle of the field,” he said. “It’s OK. But don’t tell me there wasn’t a plan somewhere there.”
A few hours after Patterson made that allegation, SMU responded with a statement from Hart strongly refuting Patterson.
“While Coach Patterson acknowledged that his postgame claim cannot be substantiated, he accused our program, multiple times, of planning to plant our flag on the field following our win. This is a complete fabrication,” Hart said. “I can state unequivocally that there was no such plan.”
Hart went on to say that coach Sonny Dykes acknowledged the incident in his postgame news conference, denouncing the behavior and apologizing for it.
Dykes spent one season on Patterson’s staff as an offensive analyst in 2017.
“This activity was spontaneous and borne out of emotion,” Hart said. “To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and offensive. I will not allow Coach Dykes, our program or our student-athletes to be unjustifiably attacked. Sonny is a tremendous leader and a man of great integrity. There is no better leader of our football program. He and our entire team have my full support.
“As was stated after the game, we have a great deal of respect for TCU, its coaches, staff and student-athletes, and have addressed the flag-planting matter with our team. We appreciate our rivalry with TCU and wish them the best the rest of this season.”
Hart opened his statement by saying the SMU program is glad that Kill is OK following the scuffle. He also mentioned a conversation he had with TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati over the weekend in which they agreed Patterson’s initial claims of a player using a helmet could not be substantiated.
Donati has not commented on the situation.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 4:20 PM.
