University of Houston to discipline football player who slapped opposing Tulsa player after close loss

The University of Houston will discipline a member of its football team that slapped a player on Tulsa’s squad, following their 37-30 loss on Saturday.

Dana Holgorsen, the head coach of the Houston Cougars, and Chris Pezman, the University of Houston vice president for athletics, released a joint statement criticizing the actions of UH wide receiver Samuel Brown, who slapped Tulsa senior defensive back Bryson Powers after Saturday’s game.

A video of the incident shows Powers on the field speaking with UH senior linebacker Donavan Mutin, who were former high school teammates. Brown walks up to the men, points at him and slaps him, before leaving.

“This type of conduct is taken very seriously, and the behavior is not reflective of our values or the standards of our program,” UH vice president for athletics Chris Pezman and football head coach Dana Holgorsen said in a joint statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will take the appropriate steps moving forward.”

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The men were not wearing helmets at the time of the incident. Personnel on the field kept the situation from escalating.

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“This type of conduct is taken very seriously, and the behavior is not reflective of our values or the standards of our program,” the joint statement read. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will take the appropriate steps moving forward.”

The Houston Cougars were up on the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at halftime, 24 to 20, and were tied going into the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell in the contest.

Brown had three catches for 57 yards. On defense, Mutin had two tackles and four assists. Powers had four tackles and one assist.

Following the game, the Cougars are 7-5, while the Golden Hurricanes are 5-7.