Suspension of Texas WR Agiye Hall ‘was not something that was based off of one incident’

On Friday, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian announced the indefinite suspension of sophomore wide receiver Agiye Hall, who transferred to the Forty Acres after leaving the Alabama Crimson Tide program in early April.

“We’re aware of the situation involving Agiye Hall, have talked with his family, and have suspended him from all team activities for conduct that is detrimental to our program,” said the statement released by the school.

The suspension followed Hall’s Thursday arrest for criminal mischief. According to the arrest affidavit, Hall was arrested for removing a parking boot from his vehicle.

“I was on patrol for the University of Texas Police Department when Officer Converse advised dispatch of a black male subject, near 1900 San Jacinto Blvd, that was irate over having his vehicle booted by UT Parking & Transportation Services. Officer Converse stated that he advised the subject not to damage or remove the parking boot because it was UT property. I arrived on scene and observed the black male swinging a tire iron at the parking boot...

“The parking boot was damaged to the point that part of it shattered and completely separated from the wheel of Agiye’s vehicle. Hall had been warned previously by multiple officers not to damage the parking boot.”

During a Monday media availability, Sarkisian indicated that Hall’s suspension was about more than his arrest.

“My job as a coach is to put our players in the best position to be successful not just in football, but in life in the classroom,” Sarkisian said. “I felt like this this situation called for that — this was not something that was based off of one incident, this is something that was a body of work that I felt like I need to help the young man and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Working with Hall and his family, Sarkisian’s goal is to put a plan in place to help the sophomore wide receiver mature after a previous suspension at Alabama contributed to Hall’s decision to leave Tuscaloosa.

“We’re working with Agiye, we’re working with his family to get him in a situation where he can be a really functional part of this team and the goal for him, the goal for us, is to play great football at the University of Texas, graduate from the University of Texas, and be a great teammate and walk out of here an even better person than than he was when he arrived. So we’re putting all the pieces in place to help him do that. When the time is right, we’ll have him back on our team.”

The arrest, in addition to whatever other incidents contributed to Hall’s suspension, came after Sarkisian expressed some optimism after Hall’s trajectory last week.

“He’s got a lot of potential. He’s making progress. Not a finished product, but I don’t expect our guys to be finished products, what I do expect is growth. We’re seeing that.”