Mike Gundy to his Oklahoma State players’ agents: ‘Quit calling us and asking for more money’

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy watches from the sideline during a game against Iowa State on Sept. 23 in Ames, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

Mike Gundy is ready for some football.

The longtime Oklahoma State coach told reporters last week “it’s been hard to really focus on football” while having to deal with some of the newer realities of the game at the collegiate level, including the transfer portal and, apparently, agents calling on behalf of individual players looking for big bucks.

But all of that is in the rearview mirror as the Cowboys prepare for their season opener against South Dakota State on Aug. 31 in Stillwater, Okla.

“It’s what I told the players, there’s no negotiating now,” Gundy said. “Portal’s over. All the negotiations [are] history. Now we’re playing football. Just coaching and playing football.”

Gundy was a star quarterback at Oklahoma State in the late 1980s and is entering his 20th season as the head coach at his alma mater. The college football landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, as NCAA rules have been relaxed regarding player transfers and earnings through their names, images and likenesses.

Read more: How UCLA’s Chase Griffin became ‘the face of the athlete voice of NIL’

With practices well underway, Gundy said, players have been informed that any such talk needs to be put on hold for the next several months.

“The business side of what we do now is, we have to have those conversations with them,” Gundy said. “‘Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It’s non-negotiable now, you know — start again in December.’

“So now we’re able to direct ourselves just at football, and that part is fun. ‘Cause there’s been so much other stuff going on, it’s been hard to really focus on football.”

Gundy also might be glad to put this…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-gundy-oklahoma-state-players-164120179.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-08-20 16:41:20

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