By Shalene White shalene@madillrecord. net
Cale Gundy, a longtime fixture of the Oklahoma University Sooners football family, resigned on August 8 after an incident with an iPad. Gundy said he had the players watching game films and noticed a distracted player. Even though the player was supposed to be taking notes, he seemed distracted by something on his iPad.
Gundy said he picked up the player’s device and read the words out loud. While reading the text in front of the players, Gundy said he read “a word that I should never -- under any circumstance -- have uttered.'
Gundy said he didn’t realize what he had said until it was too late. Once he realized what he had read, he “was horrified.” He then took to Twitter to explain his resignation.
'The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so,' Gundy wrote in the post 'In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for this mistake. I apologize.'
The assistant coach stated in his post that even though there was no malice or illintent, he was still going to step down.
'I want to be very clear: the words I read aloud from that screen were not my words. What I said was not malicious; it wasn't even intentional,' Gundy posted. 'Still, I am mature enough to know that the word I said was shameful and hurtful, no matter my intentions.'
Gundy’s ties to OU runs deep.Hewasthequarterback from 1990 to 1993, then returned as faculty in 1999. He has been part of all of OU’s 14 Big 12 titles and its 2000 national championship.
Head coach Brent Venables issued a statement on Sunday concerning the faux pas.
“It's with sadness that I accept Coach Gundy's resignation. He's dedicated more than half his life to Oklahoma Football and has served our program and university well,' Venables said in the statement. 'We're thankful
The Madill Wildcats XC and Track team are looking forward to the 2022-2023 season. They began their morning practice with Hill Day on August 8. for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he's placed the program and the welfare of our student-athletes first. In coaching and in life, we're all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes.”
However, Venables issued anotherstatementthefollowing day, saying the accidental word was uttered more than once by Gundy.
'Coach Gundy resigned from the program because he knows what he did was wrong,' Venables said in a statement. 'He chose to read aloud to his players, not once, but multiple times, a racially charged word that is objectionable to everyone, and does not reflect the attitude and values of our university or our football program.'
A few former players took to Twitter to support Gundy. Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon was one.
'If not for Coach Gundy I would not have attended OU, survived at OU, stayed at OU, and succeeded in life after OU,” Mixon tweeted. “I owe my education and professional career to him and most importantly I owe who I am as a person to him. Most importantly Coach Gundy is not, and I repeat is not a racist in any way nor has a racist bone in his body, mind, or soul. ... I know racists, I have witnessed both obvious and discreet types of racism and have known and detested even more actual racist [sic]. Coach Gundy is the farthest thing from this type of person.'
Gundy said he didn’t want this incident and his resignation to be a distraction for the team.
'I recognize this is a critical moment for Oklahoma football,' Gundy tweeted. 'This team -- its coaches, players, administration and fans -- do not deserve to be distracted by off-the-field matters while working to continue the tradition of excellence that makes me so proud to be a Sooner. Naturally, I leave these sidelines heavy hearted. Coaching this football team truly has been my life's passion.'
According to Venables, L’Damian Washington, an offensive analyst, will be Gundy’s interim replacement.
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