Texas Football: Charlie Strong Shows a New Side After Recent Dismissals

It should be a requirement for anyone with the last name "Strong" to maintain a tough image. 

And Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong has gone above and beyond to emulate a strong persona.

When the former Louisville head coach was hired to take over the Longhorns, two of his most notable goals were to return Texas football to national prominence and to ingrain toughness within the program.

Bringing the Longhorns back to the top of college football will be an arduous task that takes time. But how soon could Strong instill toughness on his team?

In one word: immediately.

During his first meeting with the Longhorns, Strong laid out his five core values: Be honest, treat women with respect, no weapons, don't use drugs, and don't take something that does not belong to you.

Anyone who violated those rules would face significant consequences.

"I told the team right away: If you don't want to be a part of this program, break a core value. That's you telling me you don't want to be here. Starter or no starter."

He has remained true to his word.

Since January, Strong has dismissed nine players for violating his core values. The most recent dismissal occurred Tuesday.

Strong has oftentimes come off as a hard-nosed, my-way-or-the-highway type of coach when it pertained to his team abiding by his rules.

He has publicly shown little remorse for the dismissals.

But his demeanor changed this week.

The Softer Side of Strong

In an impromptu meeting with the local media, Strong expressed the pain and sorrow he has felt in having to make such difficult decisions. And he also gave some insight on what has occurred behind closed doors.

"I'm sorry that another player had to be dismissed. Any time a player is dismissed from this program, it hurts me, because we are here to help young men. We are not here to run young men off; that's not our job. We're here to help them, and it just bothers me," said the emotional coach.

"I feel like somehow I failed them because I wasn't able to grab them, take them under my wing and provide the right road for them to go down. Whenever I've had to dismiss players I think, 'What could I have done better to help this young man and help him with his future?' That's why they're in college, to provide a better life for the future."

Strong's emotional presence initially came as a surprise, because it was one of the first times the head coach had openly displayed compassion about the situation.

But it did not surprise his assistant coaches. Quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson has seen how painful it has been for his boss when he has been left with no choice other than to kick players off of his team.

"It kills him," said Watson, who appeared to be choked up about the dilemma. "I've seen this guy believe in so many people. I can remember times at Louisville; I knew there was something bad for the team. But he saw something in certain individuals, and he changed people's lives. 

"But here's the key: They wanted their lives changed. Sometimes it doesn't work, and it's unfortunate. But he's the last guy to ever give up on a kid. The last."

Watson was Strong's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Louisville before he was hired at Texas. One of the main reason's why he moved his family across the country to follow Strong was that he respects his boss's goals, which include leading young men down the right path to achieve success throughout their entire lives.

"He believes in the things it takes to be a successful human being," Watson said. "Unlike a lot of people I have been around in this profession, he takes a role as a father figure. He really cares about what a player becomes in later life. He's an outstanding role model."

Dismissals, Early-Season Record Causing Criticism of Strong's Approach

It's extremely important for parents to set a positive example for their children.

The same could be said for coaches, who often play a parental role in the lives of their athletes.

People love feel-good stories, especially college football fans. Those fans applaud their favorite team's coach for changing the lives of his athletes by simply taking them under his wing and leading by example.

As long as the team is winning on the field, that is—which has not been the case for the Longhorns.

The 1-2 start to the season has caused discussion of whether Strong has been too quick to dismiss and way-too-early questions of whether Strong is the right person to lead the Longhorns.

And the criticism has reached the national level.

ESPN college football reporter Danny Kanell asked whether Strong's actions are causing him to lose his locker room.

But questioning Strong for losing his locker room three games into the season is a little extreme. 

The head coach is not asking for anything out of the ordinary, except that players follow the same rules most people grow up with.

And his decision to kick players off of his team did not happen after single slip-ups. Multiple, recurring violations of the same rule is what led to these dismissals.

At some point, the coach has to drop the hammer. Not because he is giving up or trying to be a tough-guy.

But because he has to show the 90 percent of his players who follow his rules that he means business and will hold everyone accountable for their mistakes.

"You lose your locker room when you tell someone to do something, and they don't do it. You tell them again, and they don't do it," Strong said. "Then the players look at you and say, 'You're not going to do anything, coach.'"

Only the Strong Will Survive

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Many Longhorns have welcomed Strong's tactics with open arms, including senior cornerback Quandre Diggs.

"I don't sugarcoat things, just like coach doesn't sugarcoat anything," Diggs said at Big 12 media days. "That's how I am. That's how I was born and how I was raised. I love the way he's taking the approach and getting guys out of here that don't belong. Heck, if it was up to me, or if Coach Strong asked me, I would help him weed guys out."

Criticism comes with the job of any major college football coach. But it's a whole different ball game at a school like Texas.

Fans and boosters have expectations which are way too high and almost impossible to reach. The outcry of fans following a home loss can probably be heard from Austin to El Paso.

The criticism and speculation will continue until the Longhorns return to the top of the college football ranks.

But the difference between Strong and the Longhorns' former head coach is that Strong is not the type of person who seems to care what outsiders have to say.

He's going to continue to do it his way, the right way, and set an example of what it takes to be a successful person after football.

And in his opinion, the guys who follow his rules do not find his approach to be too extreme.

"Young people want discipline in their lives, and it's our job as a coaching staff to make sure that we provide them with discipline," Strong said. Right now, we are laying a foundation for their future. I'm not hard at all. Those guys have more fun around me then they probably will around any coach. That's just the atmosphere I provide for them. I give them a lot of chances to get it right, because I want to see them be successful."

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering Texas football. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.