Though we're not rid of him, Mike Gundy's finally, deservedly, been humbled
Let’s face it.
Mike Gundy is entertaining.
He wears a great suit.
There’s the mullet. Sometimes.
Because he doesn’t have a filter, and sometimes enjoys being a rascal, two different things, he often tells truths other coaches won’t touch and occasionally says the weirdest things, both of which can be, as mentioned, entertaining.
Also, though it may be better for the program he appears to still run, I nonetheless hoped we were done with him because few things are more offensive than those with authority, fame, glory and annual millions, who, rather than being grateful for their good fortune, instead treat it as a license to stiff-arm those in their wake, disrespect those who deserve no disrespect or be a jerk just because they can. And few things are more satisfying than when folks like that fall.
At least some comeuppance appears to be at hand following the type of sports news cycle all of us got to enjoy Friday and Saturday. Indeed, the last thing like it in these parts was the 1998 televised firing of Sooner football coach John Blake, a drama that included two regents, Melvin C. Hall and C.S. Lewis III, voting against the recommendations of university president David Boren and athletics director Joe Castiglione.
The ordeal began early Friday morning during a special meeting of the Oklahoma A&M College Board of Regents, after which, though the proceedings occurred in private, reporting uncovered what had been decided.
Basically, that Gundy could agree to a new contract that paid him less money and included a smaller buyout, with the additional understanding he would receive a new level of oversight. Or, he could walk, but with the understanding Oklahoma State had no intention of paying his $25 million-plus buyout, even if the university had to go to court to keep from paying it, where it would assert Gundy had been fired with cause, having not lived up to the terms of a contract paying him an annual $7.75 million.
As of 7 p.m. Saturday, though unclear how much Gundy’s salary and buyout will be reduced, multiple outlets were reporting a deal had been struck, leaving the rest of us stuck with Gundy for at least another season, even though he went 3-9 overall and 0-9 in a Big 12 that no longer includes Oklahoma or Texas, even though he seriously alienated Cowboy fans, donors and brass with horrendously offensive comments during OSU’s train wreck of a season.
Those comments were made Nov. 4 and here’s the worst of them.
“Most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can't pay their own bills,” Gundy said. “They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job. But they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better.
“But then, in the end, when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”
That’s no way to talk to your fans.
Then again, it’s not like Gundy, the winningest coach in OSU history, hasn’t long had a nose for idiocy.
Four Aprils ago, early into the COVID epidemic, Gundy offered this gem.
“The majority of people in this building, who are healthy … and certainly the 18-, 19-, 20-, 21- 22-year-olds that are healthy, the so-called medical people saying the herd of healthy people that have the antibodies may be built up and can fight this,” he said. “We all need to go back to work.”
After which, OSU came out with a statement saying it would be listening to public health professionals on the matter, not its football coach.
Two seasons prior, at the transfer portal’s dawn, Gundy not only told media he’d be answering no questions about Cowboys entering the portal, but threatened to pull access for those who asked and for those who reported the threat, too …
In addition to calling Twitter users “people who are sitting at home drawing an unemployment check” at the same time he had almost 112,000 followers (he now has 149.8 thousand followers) …
In addition to blaming “liberalism” for the portal, which, though it could use some regulation, mostly does nothing more than give players the same right to travel between programs coaches have enjoyed forever.
There was also the time Gundy touted and wore the merch of make-it-up-as-it-goes far-right cable network One America News (OAN), earning a revolt among his players led by reigning Big 12 offense player of the year and current Carolina Panther Chuba Hubbard.
Gundy backtracked quickly on that one.
Now, this.
He’s not gone.
Still, he needed to be humbled and he has been.
Whether he has the fire to bring the Poke brand back is a whole other question.
Few mention it, but there’s evidence he hasn’t had the fire in a while.
From 2013 to 2017 Gundy went 47-18, a 72.3 winning percentage, recording four 10-win seasons.
In seven seasons since, he’s gone 55-37, a 59.8 winning percentage and recorded two 10-win seasons.
He got off easy, but not entirely, thereby yielding a lesson.
Be nice.
It might save you millions.
It also might not.
Be nice anyway.