Mike Gundy tried to make a point in his latest foot-in-mouth fiasco. He missed the mark on that too.

Mike Gundy’s comments concerning Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon’s arrest on suspicion of DUI had to be some of the dumbest ever issued by a major college football coach. And this is a competitive category.

That doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to raise an interesting argument about the responsibility of college head coaches these days, it’s just when you imply on ESPN that you yourself have driven under the influence “1,000 times,” whatever point you were trying to make is justifiably lost.

We’ll get to all that, but simply as a strategic matter, Gundy, who is entering his 20th season as the Cowboys head coach and is 16 years removed from his epic “I’m a man, I’m 40” rant, arrived at Big 12 media days completely unprepared for a predictable inquiry.

Gordon, 20, was arrested late last month after Oklahoma Highway Patrol said he was speeding and swerving out in and out of traffic lanes. Open alcohol containers were found in his vehicle and police allege Gordon subsequently blew a 0.11 and a 0.10 on the breathalyzer.

Gundy knew he was going to be asked about it, let alone about his decision to not suspend the Heisman Trophy candidate.

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy speaks during the Big 12 media days in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)

Yet his answer was casual, flippant and self-centered rather than conveying the serious nature of the charge. In doing so, he turned what was a lightly covered national story — Gordon’s arrest — into a huge headline and made it worse for everyone.

“College football has changed and we all know,” Gundy started. “We can say these guys aren’t employees, but they’re really employees. These guys get paid a lot of money, which is fine. But there needs to be a side to what they do that they have to be able to, for lack of a…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-10 18:19:51

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