Early retirement

On Wednesday afternoon, Head Coach Charlie Strong addressed the media. That’s not unusual, except Texas football is in an off week and doesn’t have another game for 10 days. With no game looming and given all of the suspensions, dismissals, and injuries that have dogged the Longhorns over the last month, it was expected that Wednesday’s press conference would have some significant news.

It took less than 60 seconds for Strong to start breaking news…

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

Strong told reporters that David Ash approached him and told him his decision. That’s noteworthy because many fans were speculating about how involved the coaching staff would be in the decision on whether or not Ash should continue to play (once he is medically cleared). When asked if Ash was still experiencing symptoms, Strong said he wasn’t sure, and added, “I said that this [Ash’s health] has been our concern the whole time, and there was no way we’d let him back out on the field because we were going to be concerned about his health.”

But Strong was adamant that Ash will remain part of the program, “Our QBs are still young, and he’ll be like a QB coach out there on the field. He’ll go out at practice, and he can work with the younger players.”

In four years, Ash threw for 4,728 yards (8th all-time at UT) and 31 touchdowns. With a career rating of 134.81, Ash owns the school record for most touchdown passes by a true freshman (4).

On Ash, Strong said, “It is a very tough call for him. He is very emotional. He’s done a lot for this program being a major part of this university. With any player, you like for the player to finish his career because that’s why they sign up – to be part of something special.”

Once news broke about Ash’s retirement, the Longhorn nation immediately began showing support for him and his decision:

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

The other important news from Wednesday’s press conference is that defensive tackle Desmond Jackson will have surgery on his ankle and will not return this season. Jackson was injured during the Longhorns’ game against the Bruins. Although defensive line is one of the deepest squads on the team, Jackson’s injury is a big blow to the defense.

Strong also discussed the recent news of multiple NFL players assaulting women and how his 5 Core Values impact young men off the field, “I just think that if you look at us, I always think about this as a coach, that you have core values within your program. If you’re going to say that that’s what your program is all about, then you have to be about it. I don’t think you can say one thing and be a different way. You have to be strong about what you truly believe in. But as a coach, you can’t be afraid to discipline players, you can’t be afraid to challenge players because in the very end, the only thing you’re doing is helping that young man in the long run. Because what’s going to happen for him, he’s going to realize, if he had a foundation in college, because we talk about sports as being discipline, so much you can learn, you talk about integrity, you talk about character. If he has that foundation within that sport, even within college, then it’s going to carry on to his life once he leaves college where he becomes a productive citizen in society and realizes there’s some things you can’t do but that’s the way you were brought up.”

UT officials announced earlier in the day on Wednesday that Texas will play a home-and-home series against the University of Michigan. Texas will travel to Ann Arbor, MI in 2024 and will play host to the Wolverines in 2027.

Full video of Wednesday’s news conference: