Assessing the Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State situation: A Blitz Podcast

After a controversial picture of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was shared on Twitter, his players spoke out against the program’s culture.

On Monday, a controversial photo of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy was shared on Twitter. In the picture, Gundy was wearing a t-shirt the logo for a radical right-wing news network OAN — or One America News Network.

Shortly after the picture became public, star Oklahoma State running back and Heisman hopeful Chuba Hubbard voiced his displeasure, stating in a tweet that he would not be participating in any activities for the Cowboys until things changed.

Several other current players, including linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and former players such as Justice Hill also chimed in with their support of Hubbard, with troubling accusations flowing about Gundy and the Oklahoma State program.

Later in the evening, Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder released a statement saying “this afternoon has been very disturbing. The tweets from current and former players are of grave concern.”

It seemed like the end of the Gundy era in Stillwater was approaching, but an hour after the statement from Holder, Gundy and Hubbard appeared in a video where the two seemingly made amends, with Gundy saying he had spoken to several players and Hubbard apologizing for voicing his frustration publicly. It was noteworthy at the time, though, that Hubbard was the only one in the video who actually apologized.

On Tuesday, however, Gundy did appear in front of the cameras and offered an apology for the pain and discomfort he had caused.

In the first segment of this week’s podcast, we discuss the situation in Stillwater. We hold little back as it pertains to Gundy and applaud Hubbard realizing the power that he and his teammates ultimately wield for the Pokes.

(Note: this podcast was recorded late Monday night before Gundy’s apology on Tuesday.)

We shift gears in the second segment to discuss the potential of FBS programs to go the Idaho route and drop down to the FCS, particularly in light of the shifting landscape of college athletics due to COVID-19.

Might we see more programs, particularly those in the independent ranks, make the transition down to the FCS in the future due to budgetary and competitive concerns?

What are your thoughts as it pertains to the Oklahoma State situation? As always, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section or on Twitter.

The Saturday Blitz Podcast is part of the FanSided Radio Network at Spreaker. The show goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.