The understandable saga that has unfolded since Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons and running back Raleek Brown opted for rather crude celebrations against the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 4 now includes Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte.
While Steve Sarkisian is the head football coach and the Horns have a GM in Brandon Harris, Del Conte has undeniably remained the big boss on the 40 Acres, and he was not happy with what he saw on Saturday.
"We had some major issues to address with inappropriate celebrations from our players. I'm not happy about that; I know none of us are, and it was embarrassing to our proud and widely respected football team, athletics program, and university," Del Conte said in a statement on Wednesday.
He went on to say that Simmons and Brown's celebrations by no means reflected the values that the University of Texas holds, and "cannot happen again."
"Rest assured, Coach Sark has addressed both situations with the players individually and with the team, and he discussed them after the game and again in Monday's press conference. As he said, it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Del Conte said.
Simply put, Del Conte is ensuring that the premier athletic department that the Texas Longhorns have claimed over the years is at its best, both when it comes to winning games and how it celebrates those wins.
Colin Simmons, Raleek Brown take ownership of mistakes
Del Conte also shared that both the edge rusher and the running back "owned their mistakes, and those actions are not reflective of who they are. They are good people who made poor choices — they know it, we know it, and they, along with our entire team, will grow from this."
Immediately after the game, Simmons was asked about his celebration, and he apologized on the spot, faulting himself for letting his emotions get the best of him. While Brown has not made a public apology, Del Conte's statement undeniably made it sound like he had taken responsibility for his actions, even if it wasn't flagged in the game.
Del Conte used the message to thank both college football fans and Longhorn Nation for expressing their distaste for the celebrations following the game, something that he described as "very warranted concerns."
This is Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte’s full statement on the “embarrassing” conduct concerns the Longhorns had during the Tennessee game, via the Forty Acres Insider:
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 30, 2026
“We can all agree it was a heck of a game and an incredible performance on the field, but I also… pic.twitter.com/8j871oGT0m
The AD closed with a straightforward message, bringing the attention back to the program as a whole instead of the errors by two players:
"We are proud of the team and what it accomplished Saturday and thus far this season, and we will continue to hold ourselves to the standard that all of you rightly expect from Texas. Thank you for your passion, your candor, and your unwavering support of our Longhorns."
Texas has a weekend off, with their bye landing on Week 5, but they will face the Oklahoma Sooners at the Red River Rivalry in Week 6, creating another emotion-filled atmosphere.
That will be the time to see if Sarkisian and Del Conte's outward-facing messages about the celebrations permeated inward as well.
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