‘A Complete Fabrication’: SMU AD Responds to Gary Patterson
SMU athletic director Rick Hart used the words “A complete fabrication” in response to TCU head coach Gary Patterson’s allegations of SMU planning a flag-planting ceremony after its win over the Horned Frogs.
Hart responded to the allegation in a statement released by SMU and filed in a story by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday.
“While Coach (Gary) 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.”
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Patterson stated that he believed that SMU planned a flag-planting ceremony after the game, which SMU won. The flag-planting ceremony at TCU’s home field led to a fight between the two teams, which eventually led to TCU assistant coach Jerry Kill receiving a concussion.
“You don’t think it was planned?,” Patterson said. “They (SMU) had a media person from their office that was out filming the flag getting set in the middle of the field. It’s OK. But don’t tell me there wasn’t a plan somewhere there.”
Hart’s statement noted that he and TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati spoke over the weekend about the incident and expressed that he was thankful that Kill was fine after the incident.
“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,” Hart said. “We appreciate our rivalry with TCU and wish them the best the rest of this season.”
The rivalry game between the two teams has seen tempers flare before, but never quite like this.
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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