updated 6:12 p.m. ET Nov. 10, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas Longhorns team leader Monday praised the way coaches handled the dismissal of a player who posted a racial slur on his Facebook page about President-elect Barack Obama.

Backup center Buck Burnette left No. 4 Texas on Wednesday for what was announced as an unspecified violation of team rules. Burnette, a sophomore, played in seven games this season.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Burnette apologized and said he made a "terrible decision'' to post a text message he received about Obama's victory that contained a racial slur.

Senior defensive end Brian Orakpo said he considered the dismissal "appropriate.''

"I thought the coaches did a good job on handling the situation,'' Orakpo said. "My prayers are for him, but we've got to move on. Guys got to make better decisions for their future.''

Orakpo said players should know their personal Web pages such as MySpace and Facebook can be sources of controversy.

"With the way the media and the Internet is evolving, everything you say can get you in trouble,'' Orakpo said.

Quarterback Colt McCoy, who counted Burnette among his good friends on the team, said it was an emotional decision for the coaches.

"I don't really want to talk about it that much, but I feel super sorry for him and I think the team does, too,'' McCoy said. "I just told him to keep his head up. Things will blow over, things will get better. That's a situation that's tough."

Coach Mack Brown said his players are told to be careful about what they post on personal Web pages. Brown would prefer his players didn't have personal Web pages, but says he can't ban them.

"It's a public right they have as students,'' Brown said. "We've told them we'd rather they not have them, and we've told them they need to obviously not be putting anything their mom wouldn't want to see.''

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos

The coach cut off questions about the matter when asked if he feared the racial slur could divide his team.

"Folks, I'm not going there. At all. I'm through,'' he said. "We played well.''

Obama's election prompted at least one visible but low-key celebration by a Texas player. Senior defensive end Henry Melton wrote "Obama'' on the black patches he wore under his eyes during Texas' 45-21 win over Baylor on Saturday.

Texas (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) is still in contention for the conference and national championships. McCoy said the Longhorns moved on soon after Brown told them what happened and Burnette sent a letter of apology to the team. McCoy called the apology "extremely sincere.''

"I did not think for a second this would be a distraction,'' McCoy said. "Everybody knows Buck. With this team's chemistry, we're all so close. It's a tough deal for everybody.''

Also on NBCSports.com PFT: Packers president admits he’s ‘disappointed’ CFT: By the numbers spotlights McCoy  |    Images College hoops: North Carolina will be scary good   Video: Red card? Some rough play in women's soccer Twitter: Follow us @nbc_sports

MORE FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL

College football Section Front

Big Ten blows BCS spot Opinion: 10 bowl matchups that would be a treat CFT: ‘By the numbers’ — McCoy goes for record CFT: Iowa’s Stanzi could return for bowl game CFT: Meyer says Florida ‘lacking the big hits’ Tribe stops school from dropping nickname Trash Talk: Sorry, but SEC not all it’s cracked up to be   Vote: Which is the best conference? CFT: Mystery over for No. 5 Cincinnati — Pike will sit Iowa-Ohio St. in-depth video preview, analysis College football Section Front   Add College football headlines to your news reader: