Texas coach Tom Herman said Monday that his team continues to discuss participating in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after games as the university continues to study the song's history and meaning.
In addition, he said that despite the team's recent struggles, the Longhorns are unified.
Two days after the Longhorns' 53-45 loss to rival Oklahoma, Herman opened his weekly news conference with prepared notes addressing the song. This summer, a statement from Texas players called for the song to be removed among a host of other changes in order for the school to be more racially inclusive. Several of those changes were announced by the school in July, but the song remained with a caveat that the university would teach about its origins, which were in a minstrel show featuring performers in blackface in 1903.
"The Eyes of Texas" has been a polarizing topic among alumni and fans since the players' request this summer. It became a further talking point following the Oklahoma loss after photos surfaced on social media over the weekend depicting quarterback Sam Ehlinger and a handful of staff members standing for the song while most of the team had since headed to the locker room.
"There are very strong emotions on both sides," Herman said. "And this is something we've been working through since our campus initiatives were announced back in July. And as a football program, we've discussed this and will continue to.
"I've encouraged our staff and team to join me in participating after games, if they are comfortable doing that. I do believe it's important that we acknowledge and thank our fans after a hard-fought game. Sam Ehlinger and some of our team did join me in standing with the fans who had cheered us so hard, and helped us greatly in our comeback against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. And I applaud them and respect that. Many of our coaches and staff also remained on the field with them to show appreciation to our great university, and our fans. And we will continue to encourage participation for all of those that are comfortable doing so.
"That said, some members of our program have concerns and aren't comfortable participating at this time. And I respect that as well. This is an issue that we will continue to have meaningful conversations about and work through as our campus committee gathers more information and addresses it. These findings will allow us to continue our conversations about 'The Eyes of Texas' moving forward."
Last week, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in his weekly newsletter that he had received "a number of emails, notes and calls" regarding the song. Texas president Jay Hartzell in a letter last week announced that professor Richard Reddick, the school's associate dean for equity, community engagement and outreach in UT's College of Education, will chair a committee that will chronicle the song's full history; a report is expected by January.
"I understand and appreciate the deep passion surrounding our alma mater, 'The Eyes of Texas,'" Hartzell said in the letter. "As we move forward and continue to perform and sing 'The Eyes,' it is critical that we understand the full history of the song, share that history broadly and provide context around its meanings, origins and roles during the past 120 years."
Hartzell later added: "Our important work to ensure that every person on our campus -- regardless of background -- knows and feels they are welcome at UT will not be completed in a few months. It will take years -- and will take all of us participating."
The discussion around the school's alma mater and Saturday's scene underscores rising frustration among Texas supporters with the on-field product. Herman's team has lost two consecutive games and required a furious late really against Texas Tech in its conference opener on Sept. 26 to avoid being 0-3 in Big 12 play at this point. The underwhelming start, coming off what was viewed as a disappointing 2019 season -- which prompted Herman to overhaul his coaching staff this offseason -- has led to fan frustration with the fourth-year head coach.
Asked whether his team was at a crossroads, on and off the field, Herman said "I think every week's a crossroads," but emphasized that his team is not divided.
"We were at a crossroads after [losing to] TCU, and we're at a crossroads now," Herman said. "Now, the level of unity is phenomenal, it's great right now. You don't see that kind of effort and tenacity and belief from an outfit that is not unified. They all have the same goal, which is to improve. "I know it's not quick enough and the magnitude of it isn't great enough just yet, but I think any time that you're a young man and you have an outcome that isn't what you hoped for, it stings really, really bad. But when you can ... take away some tangible examples of improvement, it makes ... fixing the issues that need to be fixed a lot more palatable."
Citing his team's effort in the loss to Oklahoma, Herman contended that his locker room is still harmonized.
"A team that is divided, a team that's fractured, a team that has lost faith or hope, they don't play like that," Herman said. "Teams that play that hard with that much belief are teams that are together." Asked about how to address "The Eyes" with his team in the short term, Herman said they'll continue to discuss it and he'll rely on the school's leaders. "Our leadership, both at a university level and an athletic department level, is working very hard on that," Herman said. "And we will follow their lead, wherever that takes us."