The daughter of former Oklahoma Sooners coach Cale Gundy took a shot at head coach Brent Venables after he declared that Gundy resigned after using a “racially charged word” multiple times.
Gundy announced his resignation on Twitter explaining, “I owe it to Sooner Nation to be transparent about what led to this decision: Last week, during a film session, I instructed my players to take notes. I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen.”
“The words displayed had nothing to do with football,” he relayed. “One particular word that I should never—under any circumstance—have uttered was displayed on that screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified.”
He elaborated, “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. Still, I am mature enough to know that the word I said was shameful and hurtful, no matter my intentions.”
“The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so,” he continued. “In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for my mistake. I apologize.”
The official Oklahoma Football Twitter account shared a statement from head coach Brent Venables accepting Gundy’s resignation.
It reads, “It’s with sadness that I accept Coach Gundy’s resignation. He’s dedicated more than half of his life to Oklahoma Football and has served our program and university well. We’re thankful for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he’s place the program and welfare of our student-athletes first. In coaching and in life, we’re all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes.”
“The culture we’re building in our program is based on mutual respect,” Venables stated. “Our staff is here to develop successful student-athletes, but also young men of character. As the leaders of this program, it’s essential that we hold ourselves to the highest standards as we model for our players the type of men we want them to become.”
He then announced, “L’Damian Washington, who has been serving as an offensive analyst for our program, will coach our wide receivers on an interim basis.”
Venables would then issue another statement via the Oklahoma Football Twitter account.
It reads, “As painful as it has been dealing with Coach Gundy resigning from the program, it doesn’t touch the experience of pain felt by a room full of young men I am charged to protect, lead and love. There are a few things I would like to address.”
“Coach Gundy resigned from the program because he knows what he did was wrong,” Venables stated. “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 football program. This is not acceptable. Period.”
He continued, “Coach Gundy did the right in resigning. He knows our goals for excellence and that coaches have special responsibilities to set an example. He knows that, while he will always be a part of the OU family, that his words affected many of us and did not represent the principles of our university.”
“Again, his resignation was the right thing to do, and we will move forward positively,” Venables concluded.
Gundy’s daughter, Cat Gundy replied to this statement in a now-deleted tweet writing, “Interesting you told your players to keep their mouths shut about what really happened and their heads down.”
“The truth will always come to fruition, it’s only a matter of time,” she concluded.
Pokes Report claims that Gundy read rap lyrics that were written by a player on his iPad.
Robert Allen writes for the outlet, “Apparently, Gundy was conducting a meeting with his players and one of them was writing a rap song on his team issued iPad. Gundy confiscated it and read what was on the iPad to the players in the meeting and some of the language was inappropriate.”
While Venables is clearly throwing Gundy under the bus, legendary Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops described Gundy as “a man of character.”
He wrote on Twitter, “It’s with great sadness that I’m reading this. I’ve worked along side Cale for 23 years and know him to be a man of character and a person that loves and cares for his players as well as OU.”
Stoops concluded, “Thank you Cale for all the hard work you poured into our program, it will be remembered!”
Oklahoma alumnus and current running back for the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Mixon also defended Gundy’s character in a letter shared to social media.
He wrote, “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 grew up in the Bay area and went to school obviously in Oklahoma. I know racists, I have witnessed both obvious and discreet forms of racism and have known and detested even more actual racist.”
“Coach Gundy is the farthest thing from this type of person,” Mixon declared. “I spent every day for the 1,000 days I was in Norman with him, and I never saw anything that would lead anyone to believe this or think this.”
After detailing how important Gundy was to him as a father figure and mentor in life, Mixon stated, “I know this about Coach, if he was admonishing a student athlete for any reason, it was because he was trying to help that athlete be a better person, player, teammate and student athlete of OU.”
“I know for a fact, that if he used any derogatory or inappropriate words, it was because they were written and not his own thoughts,” he asserted. “I have never seen him say, think or utter and (sp?) racist words, slang, or saying.”
He continued, “And please keep in mind that he is in meeting rooms and locker rooms where such words are thrown around by the players and in the music we listen to as often and easily as football fly in the air at practices.”
Mixon concluded, “I offer my highest support and admiration for Coach Gundy and will be extremely disappointed with the school, the program, and the administrators if he is not allowed to continue as a coach at the university going forward.”
“If he in anyone’s eyes did anything wrong then let us show people how we give people second changes (sp?), how we help all people be better people and that we teach all to work together, grow and evolve as people,” he stated.
“I for one having gone through my own tribulations while at OU know that I am where I am because I was given a second chance at school, life and to be a better person. And I owe a lot of that to Coach Gundy as a person, teacher, and coach,” Mixon finished.
What do you make of Cat Gundy’s response to Brent Venables? Do you think Cale Gundy should have resigned?
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