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Texas's Charlie Strong denies kicking players off team

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Texas head coach Charlie Strong earned the unwanted reputation of ruling with an iron first during his first season with the program.

While there were countless reports of players getting the boot before and during the season, Strong wants everyone to know that he wasn't solely responsible.

"I didn't kick them off. So much was said about, ‘He walks in here and he just starts getting rid of guys.' I always look at it like this: With our coaching staff, we've provided you a chance to just get it right and just do what we ask you to do, and that's what it came down to," Strong said during an interview on CBS Radio, according to Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports.

"Any time you take over a program, sometimes you're going to be challenged. I'm one of those coaches where I make it about the players. I want them to always understand that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure they're successful.

"Now, some people don't want to hear the message, and then when they decide that they want to run their own program, then I tell them, ‘You know what? This may not be the place for you. There's other schools that would love to have you, so I just think that's probably where you need to go.'"

Strong joined the program in January 2014 after serving as Louisville's head coach from 2010-2013. He finished with a 6-7 record in his first year with the Longhorns. 

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