After a week-long internal overhaul of the Oklahoma state soccer program and coach Mike Gundy, the man who has been in charge since 2005, sporting director Mike Holder and president of Burns Hargis University are next to their man. The two announced Thursday that they will back Gundy despite weeks of unease and uncertainty surrounding the show.
“We have spent the past two weeks reviewing our program and talking to current and past players,” Holder said. “Our internal review found that Coach Gundy needs to spend more time building stronger relationships with his student athletes. However, our review has found no signs or indications of racism.”
“After meeting Coach Gundy, I am sure he listened to his student athletes. I think he is genuine in his commitment to strengthening relationships with his players. I think this will be a victory for everyone. I am looking forward to seeing the impact that this will have on our team. “
Hargis echoed Holder in a similar statement, saying in a Twitter post that the investigation, led by Holder and OSU AD MP Chad Weiberg, determined that the “underlying problem was the lack of personal relationships between the coach in boss and players instead of anything racial. “
“This problem can be solved,” said Hargis. “After meeting with Mike Holder and Mike Gundy, I think they are committed to taking steps to strengthen relationships, which will improve communications and the program.”
However, the review came at a cost: The state of Oklahoma paid a public relations tax, and Gundy’s bank account was affected. Gundy’s five-year reinvestment contract was reduced to a four-year reinvestment, her purchase was reduced, and she also received a $ 1 million pay cut, which Holder said in a conference call Friday that it was Gundy’s idea.
The investigation was conducted by the state of Oklahoma after several players, including All-American running back Chuba Hubbard, threatened to boycott the show after a photo of Gundy appeared last month showing him wearing a One America News t-shirt. Network during a fishing trip. . OAN, a far-right cable channel, has publicly criticized the Black Lives Matter movement.
Most of the team publicly supported Hubbard after taking his stance, and created a dialogue within the program as employees moved to affect the change. Gundy repeatedly apologized publicly and called himself “dumb” for wearing the shirt.
However, clear weeks have been removed from the incident, which was more than just a shirt. It was about distance. Gundy for years has often referred to players on public forums for their jersey numbers. In a story written last week by Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, that was the underlying message: a coach whose disconnection with the players was evident. Even Mason Rudolph, who made more than 40 starts over four seasons at Stillwater, said in 2017 that he didn’t have much of a relationship with Gundy until his third year.
“There have been a lot of teaching moments for me here recently,” Gundy told Yahoo Sports after being asked about his lack of relationship with his players. “When the players said they felt I was disconnected, it broke my heart. Hearing that led me to look at myself and recognize that it is probably true. Lately I have spent a lot of time listening and learning, and now I feel better about moving forward in developing Deeper relationships with my players. That’s what they told me they wanted and now it’s a priority for me. “
It’s rare enough for a college president and athletic director to publicly push a coach in a certain direction, especially an apparently as simple path as developing more player relationships. But this should end what was a tumultuous month at Stillwater as Oklahoma State prepares for a 2020 season in which, on paper, it has one of its best teams in nearly a decade, and the firepower to potentially give it to Gundy his second Big 12 title.
