Mike Gundy's T-Shirt: A Message Or Misstep?

In June 2020, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued an apology for wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo of the far-right news network, One America News (OAN). Star running back Chuba Hubbard, along with several teammates, threatened to boycott the team until changes were made, calling Gundy's actions insensitive and unacceptable. In response, Gundy acknowledged his mistake, stating that he was disgusted by OAN's attitude towards the Black Lives Matter movement and that he was committed to making positive changes for the Oklahoma State football program.

Mike Gundy's T-shirt featured the logo of the One America News Network (OAN)

In June 2020, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued an apology for wearing a T-shirt featuring the logo of the far-right, pro-Trump One America News Network (OAN). The incident sparked outrage among his players, including star running back Chuba Hubbard, who threatened to boycott the program.

Hubbard, a 2019 Doak Walker Award finalist, took to Twitter to express his frustration with Gundy's choice of clothing, calling it "insensitive" and "unacceptable". He stated that he would not stand for it and that he would not participate in any team activities until changes were made. Several of Hubbard's teammates echoed his sentiments.

In response to the backlash, Gundy initially posted a video with Hubbard, vowing to make changes to the program. However, it was not until the following day that he issued a formal apology. In a one-minute video posted to Twitter, Gundy said:

> "Once I learned how that network (OAN) 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... I sincerely hope the Oklahoma State family, near and far, will accept my humble apology as we move forward."

Gundy's apology came as a surprise to some, as he had previously praised OAN in a press conference, describing its coverage as "refreshing" and free of commentary, opinions, or political bias. However, OAN has been widely criticized for its handling of racial injustice issues, with one of its anchors referring to Black Lives Matter as a "criminal organization".

Following the incident, Gundy suggested taking a $1 million pay cut and agreed to other concessions to resolve the matter. Hubbard also apologized for the way he handled the situation, acknowledging that he should have confronted his coach privately instead of taking to social media.

OAN is a far-right, pro-Trump news network

In June 2020, Oklahoma State University's head football coach Mike Gundy was criticised by his players for wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo of far-right, pro-Trump news network One America News (OAN). Star running back Chuba Hubbard threatened to boycott the programme until things changed, and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga also threatened to sit out in response to the photo.

Gundy initially posted a video with Hubbard, in which he vowed to make changes to the programme. However, he did not apologise for wearing the t-shirt. The following day, Gundy issued a one-minute apology, saying:

> "Once I learned how that network (OAN) felt about Black Lives Matter, I was disgusted and knew it was completely unacceptable to me. I want to apologise 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..."

OAN has been described as a far-right, pro-Trump organisation that pushes unfounded conspiracy theories. OAN host Liz Wheeler recently described the Black Lives Matter movement as a "farce".

Gundy had previously praised the network publicly in a press conference, saying:

> "They just report the news. There’s no commentary. There’s no opinions. There’s no left. There’s no right."

Gundy's comments sparked a media controversy, with some calling for him to be reprimanded, suspended, fined, or even fired. However, OSU athletic director Mike Holder stood behind Gundy, saying that "nothing is more important to us than our student-athletes."

OAN has been criticised for its handling of the Black Lives Matter movement

In June 2020, Oklahoma State University's head football coach Mike Gundy issued an apology for wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo of the far-right news network, One America News (OAN). OAN has been criticised for its coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement, with OAN host Liz Wheeler recently describing the movement as a "farce".

Gundy's apology came after Oklahoma State star running back Chuba Hubbard threatened to boycott the team in response to a photo of Gundy wearing the t-shirt. In a tweet, Hubbard stated, "I will not stand for this. This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it's unacceptable." Several of Hubbard's teammates echoed his remarks.

Gundy initially posted a video with Hubbard, vowing to make changes to the program. However, it was only after a team meeting with his players that Gundy issued a formal apology, saying, "Once I learned how that network (OAN) felt about Black Lives Matter, I was disgusted and knew it was completely unacceptable to me... Black lives matter to me. Our players matter to me."

Hubbard later apologised for the way he handled the situation, saying he regretted addressing his coach via social media rather than in person. He added, "I was never wrong for saying what I said... But I had to hold him accountable either way."

This incident involving Gundy and OAN is not the first time the coach has faced controversy. In 2007, Gundy made comments criticising an article by Jenni Carlson of 'The Oklahoman', which became the subject of a nationwide media controversy and generated a viral video.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy apologised for wearing the T-shirt

Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued an apology in June 2020 for wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo of the cable news channel One America News Network (OAN). The t-shirt offended many of his players, including star running back Chuba Hubbard, who threatened to boycott the program.

Hubbard, a 2019 Doak Walker Award finalist, called out his coach on Twitter, saying, "I will not stand for this. This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it's unacceptable." Hubbard's teammates echoed his remarks, with linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and offensive lineman Treven Jenkins also publicly supporting him.

Gundy initially did not apologize, instead posting a video with Hubbard in which he vowed to make changes to the program. However, the following day, he issued a one-minute apology, saying he was "disgusted" by OAN's attitude towards the Black Lives Matter movement and that he realized how the t-shirt "affected their hearts."

In his apology, Gundy said, "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." He added, "I sincerely hope the Oklahoma State family, near and far, will accept my humble apology as we move forward."

Gundy's apology was well-received by Hubbard, who called it "a step in the right direction," and Ogbongbemiga, who wrote, "This took a lot of courage. Respect." In light of the controversy, Gundy also suggested taking a $1 million pay cut and agreed to other concessions to resolve the incident.

Gundy called himself a dumbass for wearing the T-shirt

In June 2020, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued a public apology for wearing a t-shirt featuring the logo of the far-right, pro-Trump news network One America News (OAN). The incident sparked outrage among his players, with star running back Chuba Hubbard threatening to boycott the program until changes were made.

Gundy initially posted a video with Hubbard, in which he vowed to make changes to the program. However, it was not until after a team meeting with his players that Gundy fully understood the impact of his actions, saying:

> "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."

Gundy went on to call himself a "dumbass" for wearing the shirt, acknowledging that he was unaware of the network's stance on the Black Lives Matter movement at the time. He empathized with his players' frustration, stating that once he learned of OAN's views, he was “disgusted” and knew it was "completely unacceptable."

Gundy's apology was well-received by his players, with Hubbard calling it "a step in the right direction." Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who was the first to publicly support Hubbard's initial comments, also respected Gundy's courage in addressing the issue.

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