By Rock Westfall
Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy is under fire for not suspending Ollie Gordon II for a DUI and for making a clumsy statement about the situation and his own past of driving under the influence.
At Big 12 media days in Las Vegas, a town notorious for DUI and related tragic accidents that have unfortunately killed innocent people, Gundy came off as tone-deaf.
“So, I looked it up on my phone, ‘what would be the legal limit?’ Like, in Oklahoma, it’s .08, and Ollie was .1. So I looked it up, and it was, based on body weight … but I thought, really, two or three beers, or four … well, I thought I’ve probably done 1,000 times in my life, which is fine. So, I got lucky. People get lucky.”
While Gundy’s statements lacked politically correct polish, they did come off as authentic and with objectively harsh, unemotional truth. Additionally, he avoided the nauseating half-game suspensions against weak opponents that other programs have frequently used in the past as a play-action fake in the hopes of turning the narrative.
Gundy later backpedaled on the comments, talking about making mistakes in general, not specifically drunk driving. Either way, the message of Gundy supporting his players and taking the scrutiny off them was loud and clear.
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1810797955441406438
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DUI is Inexcusable – So Too Are Fake Punishments
The best program in college football has been notorious for alcohol-related driving incidents. The Georgia Bulldogs have embarrassed themselves with continuous DUI problems that included the loss of life. To his credit, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has used counseling, guest speakers, and various forms of punishment to try and address the problem.
So far this summer, the Bulldogs have stayed out of the news. But it took several years and numerous incidents for the message to sink in, at least for now, apparently. In comparison, Oklahoma State does not have the DUI reputation that Georgia is stained with.
Mike Gundy made a contrarian bet this week. The easy way out would have been to suspend Gordon, perhaps for a game or two, with some additional punishments proudly announced to all. Counter to those norms, Gundy will find other ways to deal with Gordon, who has shown sincere remorse for the incident.
Instead of a “Hey, look at me” moment to gain media favor, Gundy is taking the hard road, knowing that he will get heat for doing so. The way Gundy is dealing with Gordon will earn the trust and respect of his players. It’s an example of his fearless authenticity.
There is no excuse for driving under the influence. In the same way, it is equally inexcusable to partake in other forms of distracted driving, including texting, watching videos, fiddling with phone connections, and eating a meal, all of which put innocent lives at risk.
Too many families, including mine, know the pain of losing at least one or more loved ones over a traffic accident, either by DUI or other forms of distracted driving.
Instead of a phony publicity stunt, Gundy decided to take the incoming fire and deal with the incident honestly.
https://twitter.com/soonersonly/status/1811038524797259848
Let Those Who Have Not Sinned on the Road Cast the First Stones
All of us have been guilty of some form of inattentive driving, either by DUI, phones, texts, entertainment systems, changing radio stations, spilled drinks, GPS, etc. You do not need to be a drunk driver to kill someone with inattentive, selfish stupidity. And as Gundy would say, most of us have been “lucky” to avoid catastrophe.
Yes, Gordon was the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and his presence is vital to Oklahoma State’s success. But plenty of college football programs have found creative ways to keep players in the lineup with punishments that amount to very little, just to quiet the masses and the media.
The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers are arguably the greatest team in college football history. That may not have been the case if head coach Tom Osborne had laid down the hammer over some ugly incidents prior to and during that season.
Previously, In 1971, Osborne was the offensive coordinator for Bob Devaney when they could have sent Johnny Rodgers packing after he robbed a gas station. Rodgers was originally charged with armed robbery but pled guilty to a lesser charge. Devaney and Osborne kept Rodgers, who sparked the powerful and legendary Big Red to the 1971 National Championship, their second straight, and then picked up the 1972 Heisman Trophy.
The late great Bobby Bowden of Florida State fame often said that when he got letters demanding that a wayward player be kicked off the team, he would reply, “What if that was your son?”
Mike Gundy is one of the most honest coaches in college football. He can be raw and uncouth, but he is not into phony optics or word salads. Give me that all day, any day.
We may not like what he said or how he said it, but he deserves credit for daring the pajama boy, squealing, virtue-signaling, thoughtless sports media, and its unoriginal groupthink to come after him.
Mike Gundy took the hard road that few others would dare travel. Indeed, Gundy is a man, one that will always protect his players.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolBig12/status/1810396342247895150
