University of Texas athletic director denies Charlie Strong will be fired

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Charlie Strong of the Texas Longhorns watches as his team warms-up before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Darrell K Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

It’s clear Charlie Strong will be fired by the University of Texas, but the school’s athletic director has decided to put the coach in an even tougher situation.

After a historic loss to Kansas on Saturday night, the hot seat under Charlie Strong as Texas Longhorns’ football coach turned toward the inevitability he will be fired. Strong’s post-game press conference reflected as much, when he was somber in expressing uncertainty about his future.

It’s clearly a matter of when, not if, Strong will be fired by Texas. Early reports he had been fired Saturday night proved to be untrue, with indications Strong will coach the regular season finale on Friday against TCU regardless of the speculation about his job status.

On Sunday Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman reported a decision to fire Strong has been made, with a possible official announcement on Monday. Strong is still expected to coach Friday’s regular season finale, but Texas athletic director Mike Perrin issued a statement Sunday night denying Strong will be fired.

Full statement from Texas men’s athletic director Mike Perrin. pic.twitter.com/aRyWXHpiZw
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) November 21, 2016

Strong is the dictionary definition of a lame-duck coach at this point, with boosters reportedly clamoring for and surely willing to open their checkbooks to facilitate the hiring of Houston coach Tom Herman. A win over TCU would bring six regular season wins and bowl eligibility, but it seems unlikely Strong would be allowed to twist in the wind for another few weeks heading into a postseason game.

But with Perrin’s statement Sunday night, and the tone-deafness of it, it’s hard to say what the protocol would be if the Longhorns win against TCU and earn a bowl bid.

All indications are Strong is class-act, and he’ll surely handle an increasingly untenable situation as best he can. The results on the field over the last three seasons haven’t measured up to the high standards of the Texas football program, but Strong deserves a lot better treatment than he’s getting from the athletic department right now.

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