Mike Gundy, the Oklahoma State coach, has taken a drastic turn in opinion. He released a strong statement on Tuesday regarding his recent choice to wear a One America News T-shirt.
“I had a great meeting with our team today,” Gundy said in a video posted to Twitter. “Our players expressed their feelings as individuals and as team members. They helped me see through their eyes how the T-shirt affected their hearts. Once I learned how that network felt about Black Lives Matter, I was disgusted, and knew it was completely unacceptable to me.
I want to apologize to all members of our team, former players, and their families for the pain and discomfort that has been caused over the last two days. Black lives matter to me. Our players matter to me. These meetings with our team have been eye opening and will result in positive changes for Oklahoma State football. I sincerely hope the Oklahoma State near and far will accept my humble apology as we move forward.”
Mike Gundy’s previous comments about OAN before facing backlash were as follows:
“I tell you what’s funny is, I was flipping through stations,” Gundy said in early April. “I found one — I don’t even know if anybody knows about this — it’s called OAN. It’s One America News. And it was so refreshing. They just report the news. There’s no commentary. There’s no opinions on this. There’s no left. There’s no right. They just reported the news. And I’ve been watching them the last week because they’re giving us the news and providing us with more information — in my opinion — some of the positives are coming out. So, that was refreshing.”
Gundy’s change in stance was largely influenced by star running back Chuba Hubbard and other team members confronting him about wearing the controversial T-shirt.
Chuba Hubbard voiced his concerns on Twitter, stating his refusal to accept the situation and emphasizing the need for change.
In response, Mike Gundy addressed the issue of the T-shirt in a video on Monday, pledging to contribute to transforming the culture at OSU.
