Well, it’s been 15 years to the day Oklahoma State Mike Gundy showed his ass in public. That’s a saying from where I grew up in which someone acts so badly in public over something so trivial. OSU had just won a game against Texas Tech and rather than deliver a press conference which is what everyone had shown up for. He decided to rant and rave against Jenni Carlson, who was and still is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman.
Whatever beef Gundy had with Carlson and the newspaper, he should’ve reserved for another time. He pissed on his whole football team’s win by being a jerk to the media. And despite what people have said, he wasn’t supporting his team. He was mad because the Oklahoman wasn’t kissing his ass like it was to Bob Stoops who was head coach of the University of Oklahoma at the time.
Gundy was only in his third season as head coach and the Cowboys hadn’t had a good first two years. Prior to the Texas Tech game where OSU won 49-45, starting quarterback Bobby Reid, a black 21-year-old player less than three months shy of his 22nd birthday, had been demoting to second string. And Carlson, who had been writing for the Oklahoman for years wrote a story about how Reid was being soft and playing through injuries. There was also reports Reid was being coddled by his mother and had been fed Popeye’s chicken like a baby. Yet, the chicken part wasn’t true.
Either way, Gundy didn’t like it. And there were reports the coaching staff confiscated copies to make sure no one would read it. But it didn’t matter because at the time, Gundy’s rant would go viral. And what a disgusting rant it was. He went on about how Reid was a child and screamed at Carlson he should leave children alone. “Come after me. I’m a man! I’m 40!”
You can watch the whole rant here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ3oXkDPKbM
Well, that’s the problem. At 21, Reid was a man. He could legally vote, buy tobacco/alcohol products, serve in the armed services, drive a motor vehicle and do a lot more. Anyway, as a public figure, Reid was open game in my opinion. He was playing for a state universities. Taxpayer dollars were paying for his education, his jerseys, his equipment, the whole shabang.
I think the problem was that Gundy was mad that a woman reporter was writing a sports column rather than a society page piece. I’m sure if Gundy had presented this rant against a male reporter, he might have gotten his ass kicked. Or he would’ve said something to the male reporter in a private matter. I’ve had some coaches get mad at me and they rant in an e-mail where they mistake “you’re” for “your” and “there” “they’re” and “their.”
People said that Gundy was standing up for his players. But there was a reason he had moved Reid to the No. 2 spot. And Reid himself didn’t appreciate the press conference. Reid later told ESPN that he felt it was “a big show. It’s didn’t feel genuine.” It became a Mexican stand-off on who would be the first one to punish. But neither OSU nor the Oklahoman budged.
Gundy still remains at OSU and Carlson still remains at the Oklahoman. And while Gundy thinks the Oklahoman is garbage, a 2020 photo of him wearing a One America Network shirt went viral and led to controversy. Apparenty, Gundy is the type who thinks OAN, which has been a bastion of irresponsible reporting, is more respectable.It still continues to sell Donald Trump’s Big Lie the 2020 election was “stolen” as well as other things that could simply be found by a Wikipedia search.
Below is a picture of him wearing the shirt.
I’ve seen too many real kids, barely in high school, treated like garbage for not catching a pass or not making a basket. There’s a reason Reid was demoted but Gundy didn’t even want to mention that. He ruined the whole team’s win. He threw Reid under the bus a second time. And all it was he was unhappy with someone questioning his decision.
Gundy didn’t act like a man. He acted like a child throwing a tantrum in the cereal aisle because his mother won’t buy him Honey Smacks. His birth certificate and driver’s licence might have put his physical age at 40, but he acted like a four-year-old.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 