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Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp lived up to his last name with a pointed response to a report from Chip Brown of Horns Digest.
Sharp sent a lengthy email to the Houston Chronicle in regards to an article of Brown’s that’s offered as an “HD Only” piece, meaning it’s behind a paywall.
Nonetheless, there are references to passages from the article in the response from the chancellor’s office. Here’s the opening statement:
“Austin-based sports blogger Chip Brown’s last attempt to report on Texas A&M football, on December 17, 2015, was apparently only the first in a series of fairy tales he intends to spin. Chancellor John Sharp made it clear to another reporter (Brent Zwerneman) that Brown’s speculation about him trying to get Kevin Sumlin fired was indeed a fairy tale. And there is no one more unethical than a reporter who has been embarrassed by being called out for misstating information who then decides to seek revenge. This new report – a fairy tale on steroids – seems to be Chip Brown’s attempt at revenge. The entire report is patently false, but here are a few of the biggest errors:”
The response details several things, one of which is an apparent discrepancy in the cost of revamping Kyle Field.
“Discussing the budget for the redevelopment of Kyle Field, which was revised in December 2014 from $450 million to $485 million, Brown says “…that I’m told actually cost $520 million because of $70 million in overruns…”. This is hogwash. The project was delivered on time and on budget. Anything outside of this would have required a vote by the Board of Regents, and that was never necessary.”
Brown also stated that Sharp was involved in Kyler Murray’s recruitment, while also lobbying for him to play more in the team’s loss to Alabama.
“Brown’s new fairy story continues with lies about Chancellor Sharp’s involvement with Kyler Murray’s recruitment. Chancellor Sharp has never met Kyler Murray or his parents and has never been involved with his recruitment or the recruitment of any other student athlete. Indeed, no one has ever asked him to be involved in recruitment, and we challenge Mr. Brown to produce one student athlete Chancellor Sharp helped recruit. His unnamed “sources” have steered him way off course.
“Next on the list of falsehoods: that Chancellor Sharp was “blowing up the phones of Sumlin and Spavital starting in the middle of the Alabama game to get Kyler Murray more involved.” Anyone who was in the Chancellor’s suite that day knows this is 100% not true. He was watching the game with his guests, not dialing up the coaches.”
Here’s the emphatic closing statement:
“We respectfully suggest that Mr. Brown should consider sticking to covering UT football and leave reporting on Texas A&M to reporters who pay closer attention to the facts and who do not have some kind of personal axe to grind with John Sharp. In the meantime, we hereby nominate “Cowchip” Brown for sleaziest reporter in Texas, with full confidence he will win hands down.”
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
