Crises... Virus... Now What?
A weird, wacky week it was.
And, hey, the week ain’t over, yet. So don’t unbuckle too soon, the remaining ride may have some hairpin turns or harrowing dips.
Just when you think the Mike Gundy crisis has been averted, something else goes trending on Twitter, and not in a good way. And Oklahoma State doesn’t need a football crisis, not after the gut punch delivered by the NCAA to Mike Boynton’s basketball squad two weeks ago.
No, more bad news would be devastating, sucking all air out of the school’s two most important sports, and impacting every other program in the process.
And it sure wasn’t looking good Monday afternoon, when a lake photo of Mike Gundy was circulated on Twitter, creating an uproar inside his own walls. Pretty soon, Gundy was taking shots from every corner of the country, and not just by sports folks. All sorts of heavy hitters were weighing in, most of them firing haymakers at the coach.
But Gundy did the only thing he could do if he wanted to keep control of his team, and likely his job. And it was the right thing, pulling his players together and acknowledging that there were things that needed to change, and vowing that they would change. There have been subsequent statements from Gundy, too, via video and even a spot on ESPN. Chuba Hubbard, seemingly the unofficial spokesman for the team, has been visible, too, representing himself, and what team’s players are seeking.
Then came another round of fire, with former Colorado player Alfred Williams bringing back post-game allegations from a game against OSU in 1989, when Gundy was quarterbacking the Cowboys. Williams, and other Buffs, claimed Gundy spewed racist remarks that day in Stillwater, specifically, the N-word.
Williams, in an interview with The Oklahoman, told writer Jacob Unruh that it wasn’t his goal to get Gundy fired, but he would like an apology, 31 years later.
“I want an apology from him and I want to see him have some growth,” Williams said. “If he denies that he said (that), I have at least 20 people who will vouch for what happened that day.”
I have no idea what happened that day in Stillwater. Unless some hidden audio is uncovered, we’ll never know.
And who knows what, if anything, is next.
Vexing Virus
Things were quite quiet on the coronavirus front in Stillwater, to the point that there zero active cases just a couple weeks ago.
Now, the virus has spiked, with record cases being reported.
So what has changed? I’m no medical expert, but I’ll take a stab at an explanation just the same – simply look to The Strip.
Not to sound like a boomer here, but the kids have slowly returned to town, as the June 1 rental agreements that most landlords have in place began. And the kids are going to the bars, en masse.
I know this, not because I’m there, too, but because the kids I know are telling me. They say it’s a scary sight. And the testing numbers are even more scary. Many are in the 18-22 age bracket.
It’s the same in Oklahoma City. While restaurants and other establishments are practicing social distancing, limiting the number of folks in their dining rooms and stores, somehow many bars are not. And I don’t know why not, either by choice or by law.
Here’s what I do know: it’s putting a lot at risk, including the fall sports seasons.
If this is how people are going to act, what happens when campus fills up in August, with students returning from all over the country, and the world?
OSU has every intent to be open for business in the fall. Open for classes. Open for football.
But these latest virus numbers must surely be reason for pause.
Let’s hope not. And let’s hope some sense shows up on The Strip.
Sutton Series
I just completed a story for the upcoming issue of STATE magazine, a feature on Eddie Sutton.
Talked to a lot of folks, with extended great interviews. And as is often the case, so much good stuff didn’t make the story.
So I’ll be sharing a lot of that in the days ahead. Stories from Sean Sutton, Daniel Bobik, Harry Birdwell, Kendria Cost and more.
Stay tuned, I think you’ll enjoy them.
