411 on the Forty — Part 1: Tough breaks for Texas football

By Riley Zayas

It was a rough week for Texas football, as the Longhorns temporarily lost safety B.J. Foster, and may have permanently lost cornerback Anthony Cook.

In a display of frustration that mirrored the reaction when he narrowly misses a tackle or interception, Foster recently smashed his fist into the bumper of his car after he discovered his car’s bumper had been hit and the other driver did not leave a note. As a result of his "fight" with the car bumper, he fractured his fifth metacarpal bone, and will be in a cast for at least the next month. Head coach Tom Herman said Foster should be able to work out, and lift weights to some extent this summer.

Defensive back B.J. Foster's offseason conditioning workouts have been temporarily derailed by a broken bone in his hand (photo courtesy of texassports.com).

Even if spring practice had been held, Foster would not have been able to participate due to continued recovery from shoulder surgery.

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Herman, who spoke from experience, told the media Thursday, “We had a long conversation on that,” Herman said. “Every time in my 45 years on the planet, when a player gets in a fight with an inanimate object, usually the inanimate object wins.”

On a similar note, Cook announced he “will not be playing another snap at Texas” and will transfer. That announcement came Thursday evening through Twitter, although Cook deleted the tweet hours later, leading to speculation about whether Cook had changed his mind or still intends to leave UT.

“Due to unfortunate situations I will not be playing another snap for the University of Texas,” Cook tweeted. “Has nothing to do with anyone or anything. Please respect my decision.”

Cornerback Anthony Cook makes sure USC wide receiver Trevon Sidney doesn't cross the goal line (photo by Don Bender / Horns Illustrated).

Cook has played in 25 games in his first two seasons at Texas, starting seven. A starting spot in the secondary was in the cards in 2020 for Cook, who gained much-needed improvement under former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando the past two seasons. Chris Ash will be Texas’ defensive coordinator for the 2020 season.


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Riley Zayas

Riley Zayas is a high school sophomore and freelance journalist from Round Rock, Texas. He began his journalism career as a Sports Illustrated Kids reporter and has since become a regular contributor to Horns Illustrated, covering Texas Longhorn sports. His work also includes Fellowship of Christian Athletes publications, College Baseball Nation and Sports Spectrum, a national christian sports website. He currently serves as the Managing Editor of True To The Cru, covering UMHB athletics. Twitter: @ZayasRiley

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