That's a little rough.
Bottom line is it's bigger news because of who they are: "Ex-Bison football players." It doesn't matter what their status with the team is now. Bizon buttfootball is huge in Fargo, and rightly so, the headlines are going to be bigger for these guys because of the amount of news the scandal has already gotten and, again, because of who they are. If they were Johnny Nobody who shirked his responsibility you prolly wouldn't hear about it at all. For those having a problem with them being referred to has "Ex-Bison," until they do something else in their lives that merits a new descriptor (i.e. serve on City Council, get elected president, work as Chief of Police of Fargo , become a TV meteorologist or whatever, this is how they'll be described -- for better or for worse.
Lastly, Gene Taylor's a big boy. If he's asked about this by the media, I am sure he will handle himself just fine.