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STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State University issued a response late Tuesday afternoon to social media criticism of head football coach Mike Gundy and comments he made earlier in the day in a teleconference with a combination of local and national media.  

The response is not issued from any particular group or individual, but a University response. 

Official OSU statement in response to comments made by Coach Mike Gundy today:

Everyone wants to return to some degree of normalcy as soon as possible. As for Oklahoma State University, we will adhere to the advice of public health experts who are making informed decisions in the best interest of the citizens of our nation and state based on sound scientific data. We will also abide by the federal and state mandates as well as Big 12 guidelines. We will not compromise the health and well-being of our campus community. This virus is deadly and we will do our part at Oklahoma State to help blunt the spread.

Gundy started his nearly one-hour long teleconference with a 20-minute monologue that praised medical workers on the front line in battling the COVID-19 pandemic and all citizens that were doing their part in sticking with staying at home and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Gundy also praised the leaders including Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, other governors, and the President and national leaders. Gundy said, in his opinion, no official could have been completely ready for what has happened in the country with the coronavirus. 

Gundy was critical of national media that were doing more attacking stories on leaders and more negative stories on the pandemic and not reporting, in his opinion, any progress being made.

The Oklahoma State head football coach then spent the last half of his opening praising his staff, medical staff, strength staff, and Marilyn Middlebrook and here academic support staff for all the work with the players. 

Gundy said he felt his players were working hard, both academically and physically as best they could. He also informed the media that all players were at home or off campus except for three individuals.

Gundy's most polarizing remarks were likely about his hope and plans to get back to preparing for a football season. There is no doubt his target of May 1, which was according to his words, more aimed at his coaching and support staff and then players later was likely ambitious. The Big 12 and NCAA, as well as other Power Five conferences have set May 31 as a date that no team gatherings or on-campus or off-campus recruiting can take place. 

"The NCAA, the Presidents of the universities, the Power Five conference commissioners, the athletic directors need to be meeting right now and we need to start coming up with answers," Gundy stated. "In my opinion, we need to bring our players back. They are 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22-years old and they are healthy and they have the ability to fight this virus off. If that is true, then we sequester them, and continue because we need to run money through the state of Oklahoma."

Gundy spoke of the money that football brings in and did speak of stimulating the athletic budget and the local economy. It is a fact that Stillwater, as a community, does make a lot of money off Oklahoma State football and sports. Those are facts. It's the argument that goes on everyday in college sports when people question the value of a scholarship and what student-athletes receive in return for their talents. It is why Name-Image-and-Likeness is now going to be part of the college athletic existence. 

There is no doubt, that Gundy communicated that poorly, but if you polled student-athletes in football about wanting to get back to playing and being with their teammates, and they could do it in a safe environment. I'm pretty certain of what the results would be. 

Many academicians and others in the education community have said athletics shouldn't be held on a campus where students are not in classes on that campus. Gundy did state he was not in agreement with that.

"I'm not saying that (football without a full campus of students and full stadium of fans) is what I want, but it is what we are doing right now, Gunday said of the distance learning that OSU and other schools are doing currently. There is a large percentage of classes year round (before the coronavirus) that are on-line and distance learning."

It is obvious now from social media and the University response that they were not in line with Gundy's comments in his teleconference.