Kevin Sumlin Releases Statement on Texas A&M WR Coach Aaron Moorehead

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin announced Monday (via Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee) he disciplined wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead for a series of critical tweets he made last week shortly after high school quarterback Tate Martell decommitted from the school:

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Last week, one of our assistant coaches, [Moorehead], abused the privilege of social media and the result reflected poorly on Aaron, on our football program and on Texas A&M. He has apologized publicly and privately for his actions and I am confident that he understands the expectations moving forward. However, there are consequences for actions and Aaron has been disciplined and the details will remain private. We will use this as a learning tool for all of our coaches, staff and student-athletes, and we are now moving forward as a program.

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The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw argued the tweets were out of line but didn't meet the standard needed to put Moorehead's job in jeopardy:

Moorehead has since deleted the tweets in question, but EJ Holland of the Dallas Morning News captured the details of the rant before they were erased. Moorehead talked about what he felt was a lack of loyalty from "this next group of kids."

He subsequently apologized on Twitter:

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Last night, I made some impromptu comments on social media out of frustration and out of a true love for Texas A&M Football. I want to apologize to all of the young men in high school who work so hard to achieve their dreams of playing college football & I wish them all well wherever they end up. I also want to apologize to Coach Sumlin and the Aggie Family for not representing our university the right way. I need to do better and I will.

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One could understand the general frustration of the Aggies' staff for having lost Martell, who is the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the 2017 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Moorehead stepped over the line, though, and his tweets appeared to have had a somewhat significant impact on the team's recruiting.

Wide receiver Mannie Netherly announced he planned to decommit from Texas A&M, and wideout Tyjon Lindsey said he'd no longer consider the Aggies a potential option going forward, per ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr.

As a result, A&M is lagging behind its rivals on the recruiting trail, with its 2017 class ranking 11th in the SEC and 43rd nationally, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The timing of the Moorehead's misstep couldn't have been much worse for Sumlin either. He's already on the hot seat, having led the Aggies to back-to-back eight-win seasons. His top two quarterbacks from last year, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, both transferred in the offseason as well.

Trevor Knight's arrival gives Texas A&M a starting quarterback for 2016, but Martell's decommitment leaves the team without any sort of long-term plan at the position.

Moorehead's comments will be quickly forgotten if Texas A&M gets off to a hot start next year. Should the Aggies struggle out of the gate—a distinct possibility given they face off with UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama in the first half of the season—Sumlin's critics will have more ammunition behind them should they call for his ouster.