By Kate McGee, The Texas Tribune
Former Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy, who recently signed with the Arizona Cardinals, was among a group of connected University of Texas donors who organized an effort last June to pressure university leaders to keep the alma mater song, “The Eyes of Texas,” according to new emails provided to The Texas Tribune.
Last month, the Tribune reported that dozens of UT donors threatened to pull funds if the university got rid of the song, which has been the subject of student protests. After the story ran, UT President Jay Hartzell released a statement that said he received a “small number” of hateful emails about the issue and they “bear no influence on any aspect of our decision-making.”
Colt McCoy joined forces with rich UT-Austin alumni to help pressure university to keep The Eyes of Texas, latest emails show
Texas Tribune
Tags: In October, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell announced a committee of current and former athletes, historians, professors and students to chronicle the history of The Eyes of Texas. The committee released a report concluding that while the song was written and performed in a racist setting, it had “no racist intent,” and the lyrics were not “overtly racist.”
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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McCoy and Brigham were part of a large group email of Longhorn donors and fans
who discussed the controversy among themselves on June 29. Other former Longhorn athletes, including former NFL player Jordan Shipley, were included in the group message.
“It’s not looking good,” Brigham wrote to the group about protests against the song. “[Athletic Director Chris Del Conte] was trying to manage the situation but without help it doesn’t sound like there is enough support for our perspective, at this point, to stop the movement.”
In a matter of hours, Brigham set up a conference call with McCoy and other alumni to update them on the situation and solicit potential solutions and ideas.
Colt McCoy helped rich UT-Austin donors fight to keep The Eyes of Texas texastribune.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from texastribune.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Bevo’s Daily Roundup: Colt McCoy reportedly among former players who support school keeping ‘The Eyes of Texas’ song
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The Texas Tribune is leaning into their reporting on the “The Eyes of Texas” story. The Tribune’s latest report reveals emails showing former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy is among the former players who’s continued the push to keep the school song.
From the Tribune: “Former Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy, who recently signed with the Arizona Cardinals, was among a group of connected University of Texas at Austin donors who organized an effort last June to pressure university leaders to keep the alma mater song, ‘The Eyes of Texas,’ according to new emails provided to The Texas Tribune. . In addition to McCoy, the list of heavy hitters includes Bud Brigham, an oil tycoon who recently donated an undisclosed five-year gift to the school;