Psychologist: Longhorns may need counseling
A British sports psychologist said the University of Texas football team should use a sports psychologist to work on team building exercises.
This recommendation by Stuart Sadler stems from a recent Twitter blunder where Texas cornerback Kris Boyd retweeted a request to transfer to Texas A&M from a Texas A&M fan.
Texas Head Coach, Charlie Strong, announced at a press conference that Boyd apologized to the team and that the coaching staff had disciplined him for those actions.
Sadler said that a sports psychologist might be able to change the mindset of the team, especially those players who might be less focused on football.
According to a thedailydot.com article, Boyd was on Twitter at halftime while Texas was down 37–0 against Texas Christian University.
Strong addressed the media after the loss and was asked about the incident. “Our players should never be on their phones at halftime… I was not aware of that,” Strong said.
Sadler said Boyd could have been “frustrated” or “bored” and could have seen Twitter as more important than the game at that point.
Sadler said, “There are a plethora of reasons why he (Boyd) would have retweeted about transferring. He could have thought the idea humorous. He may have been feeling like he was not valued in the program and could gain value elsewhere.”
It might be understandable with how the Longhorn football program has been preforming this season. They are 1–4 and are 0–2 in conference play.
However, Boyd is still on scholarship and has certain expectations. Not using his phone during game time is one of those expectations.
According to burntorangenation.com Boyd was scrutinized on Twitter after his retweet by fans.
The Longhorns may be in need of a counseling solution to change the mentality and continuity of the team. Sadler said that actions like Boyd’s could cause “discord and anxiety” within the team. Something drastic does need to happen to change the culture in Austin.
