Mike Gundy’s day was probably bad enough when it was revealed that his pay had been cut by $ 1 million. It worsened when it was also revealed that the Oklahoma state coach had cut his rotating contract for a year.
And then the worst came. He was brought to the task by Aubrey Huff, one of the few figures in the world of sports widely regarded as, uh, more peculiar than Gundy.
Oklahoma State Punishes Mike Gundy
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Mike Gundy had a riot of potential players on his hands last month after being photographed wearing an OAN jersey, perceived as an endorsement of the controversial news network that has criticized the Black Lives Matter movement.
Gundy apologized, solving most of his problems with his players. However, the Oklahoma state administration conducted a review of the soccer program and determined that there were no cases of racism. However, OSU sports director Mike Holder held a video conference on Friday during which he revealed that Gundy’s salary was falling by $ 1 million and that one year it was being cut from a five-year contract.
Its maximum purchase was reduced from $ 5 million to $ 4 million, and Gundy’s guarantee fell from 75% to 50%. Interestingly, Holder said the measures were Gundy’s idea.
“I think it really shows his commitment to being a better coach,” Holder said. “I wanted to make a statement that would reassure all players that it wasn’t just about talking, it was more about action, and that’s the first step.”
So why was Mike Gundy punished?
It probably doesn’t seem plausible to a casual observer that Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy would voluntarily cut his $ 5.25 million salary for next season by 19% after a review that discovered racism. On the other hand, there may be many offenses less serious than racist behavior but more problematic than unpaid parking tickets. Gundy was probably caught in the middle ground.
“It was not a T-shirt,” Holder said. “It was about many things. The missing link has been a more personal relationship with his head coach. They respect him as an excellent coach on game day, but they want more training on a personal level. This crosses all racial lines. For a man, our players want a better connection with Mike Gundy. They see him as a difference maker and want me to help them grow as leaders. “
There is enough in that paragraph to suggest that Gundy had an awkward meeting with OSU administrators. It is conceivable that they even suggested that they were considering going in the proverbial “other direction.”
That would tend to attract the attention of a coach and lead to a promise to improve.
Former MLB player Aubrey Huff accumulates
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As if he didn’t have enough on his mind, Mike Gundy was punished on social media by an outcast from the sports world. Retired San Francisco Giants outfielder Aubrey Huff went after the Oklahoma state coach for allegedly volunteering to cut his pay for a jersey controversy.
I have never heard of such a smooth trainer in my life! @CoachGundy, where’s your pride … your manhood? #cancelculture, ”Huff wrote on Twitter.
Dress for a considerate man persona non grata for your old team it has to be an interesting feeling. The Giants told Huff this winter that he is not invited to a scheduled meeting of the 2010 World Series championship team this summer.
Huff has shown his support for Donald Trump and conservative causes, occasionally suspending his Twitter account for his comments. Not that his Gundy warning went unnoticed. Huff’s Twitter following has grown from 48,000 users in mid-February to more than 162,000 now.
