Here are the highlights from his Zoom conference call on Tuesday:
Ehlingher on Chris Del Conte's expectations
"Mr. Del Conte came in and laid out the expectations for paying respect to the fans in the university. I'm sure that y'all heard plenty about that, so I don't need to go into much depth about that. I'm worried about playing the game. We want to win and this is a lot of politics that are getting in the way, and we understand that. While I absolutely respect the university and the eyes of Texas, I want to win. That's our job. Our job isn't to determine the right or wrong thing to do. Our job is to win and eliminate distractions along that path."
Ehlinger on his teammates remaining for The Eyes against Baylor
"I can't speak for 100 different guys. I'm not going to answer that. It's pretty difficult to determine what's going to happen in five days in the minds of 100 different people."
Ehlinger on standing alone for The Eyes after Texas-Oklahoma
"I think it's a little bit of a misunderstanding. , I think it's a little bit of a misunderstanding. With everything going on, I know it's been blown up all over the place. I stayed on the field for longer than then my teammates. I was talking to coaches and players, so I was out there for a longer time. All of Oklahoma's players were running. They won, they're celebrating, rightfully so. They won the game. You don't want to stand out there when there's no band, and it just took a really long time. There were a lot of a lot of things going on. I know that there were a few other guys out there on the field. I know when I turned around to walk back to the locker room, Ta'Quon Graham was there waiting for me. I don't know if he sang the song or not, but he didn't leave. I wasn't the only one on the field. I think there is a bit of confusion there. After the game, I was talking to coaches and players, and then remembered to walk over to where the band normally is, I guess, and sing the song."
Ehlinger on why it's important to him to continue singing The Eyes
"Well, I shared my perspective with the team. There is no splintering of this song. I think that because it's an election year, everything is made up to be a lot more polarizing than it really is. I've had a lot of talks with guys on the team and they completely understand my perspective. That perspective is I grew up a Longhorn. I grew up singing The Eyes of Texas win, lose, or draw. I shared that experience with my family. I shared that experience with my dad, and never once singing that song has anything negative ever crossed my mind. It was always been about paying respect to the university, and the incredible tradition that the University of Texas has. I also feel a connection with my family and my dad singing that song because I grew up doing that. That's why it's important to me. All of my teammates understand that and they know my perspective."
Ehlingher on Chris Del Conte's expectations
"Mr. Del Conte came in and laid out the expectations for paying respect to the fans in the university. I'm sure that y'all heard plenty about that, so I don't need to go into much depth about that. I'm worried about playing the game. We want to win and this is a lot of politics that are getting in the way, and we understand that. While I absolutely respect the university and the eyes of Texas, I want to win. That's our job. Our job isn't to determine the right or wrong thing to do. Our job is to win and eliminate distractions along that path."
Ehlinger on his teammates remaining for The Eyes against Baylor
"I can't speak for 100 different guys. I'm not going to answer that. It's pretty difficult to determine what's going to happen in five days in the minds of 100 different people."
Ehlinger on standing alone for The Eyes after Texas-Oklahoma
"I think it's a little bit of a misunderstanding. , I think it's a little bit of a misunderstanding. With everything going on, I know it's been blown up all over the place. I stayed on the field for longer than then my teammates. I was talking to coaches and players, so I was out there for a longer time. All of Oklahoma's players were running. They won, they're celebrating, rightfully so. They won the game. You don't want to stand out there when there's no band, and it just took a really long time. There were a lot of a lot of things going on. I know that there were a few other guys out there on the field. I know when I turned around to walk back to the locker room, Ta'Quon Graham was there waiting for me. I don't know if he sang the song or not, but he didn't leave. I wasn't the only one on the field. I think there is a bit of confusion there. After the game, I was talking to coaches and players, and then remembered to walk over to where the band normally is, I guess, and sing the song."
Ehlinger on why it's important to him to continue singing The Eyes
"Well, I shared my perspective with the team. There is no splintering of this song. I think that because it's an election year, everything is made up to be a lot more polarizing than it really is. I've had a lot of talks with guys on the team and they completely understand my perspective. That perspective is I grew up a Longhorn. I grew up singing The Eyes of Texas win, lose, or draw. I shared that experience with my family. I shared that experience with my dad, and never once singing that song has anything negative ever crossed my mind. It was always been about paying respect to the university, and the incredible tradition that the University of Texas has. I also feel a connection with my family and my dad singing that song because I grew up doing that. That's why it's important to me. All of my teammates understand that and they know my perspective."
