With a rash of punishments on the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns football team, head coach Charlie Strong addressed the media on the reasons why for the first time.

According to ESPN, Strong told reporters he dismissed five players and suspended three indefinitely while granting them transfer releases. He also announced that three players will be suspended for the first game of the season, though they will be able to practice with the team when camp begins on Monday.

Dismissed with transfer releases were Joe Bergeron (running back), Jalen Overstreet (running back) and Chevoski Collins (defensive back). Permanently dismissed from the team following their arrest and charges of sexual assault were Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander (both wide receivers). Suspended at least for week one, for the same undisclosed rules violation, were Daje Johnson (running back/wide receiver), Desmond Harrison (defensive tackle) and Josh Turner (safety).

"We have core values within this program. We expect our players to abide by those values," Strong said Sunday at a press conference. "You take away something that's important to them - and football is really important to a lot of these players - and you make sure that with the games taken away from them, they understand how important it is to represent this great university not only on the field but off.

"With the core values, I say it all the time - if a young man doesn't want to be part of this program, just go break a core value of this program. You'll be telling me a lot about where you want to stand."

The new Longhorns head football coach said "85 guys on scholarship" adhere to the team rules and noted that "80 of them are doing it the right way." He said he has never looked for reasons to dismiss players, but explicitly laid out five "core values," which are treating women with respect, being honest and no drugs, guns or stealing.

"We're not in the business of kicking young men out," Strong said. "The streets have a lot of people out there not doing anything with their lives. When you have a young man with potential and has everything given to them, then there's no reason for them to not be successful. We want to make sure that happens in this program."