Mike Gundy Snaps At A Reporter After Bowl Loss

Coach Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State became irritated with a reporter after the Cowboys’ 24-17 loss to Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night. The reporter had inquired about prospective staff changes.

Mike Gundy Snaps At A Reporter After Bowl Loss

Oklahoma State‘s record is at 7-6 after the defeat. OSU began the season with a 6-1 record before losing its final six games, going 1-5. Oklahoma State allowed 29 points per game in 2022 after only allowing 18 points per game in 2021 under Jim Knowles, the current Ohio State defensive coordinator.

Additionally, OSU allowed 47 more passing yards per game in 2022 than it did in 2021, and under new defensive coordinator Derek Mason, the unit as a whole allowed a startling 1.1 yards more per play. The offence suffered a minor setback as well, but it also went three games without veteran starting quarterback Spencer Sanders.

After a dismal follow-up to a 12-2 season last year, a reporter questioned Gundy at his postgame news conference about any prospective staff changes. A visibly irritated Gundy didn’t want to respond to the inquiry, but instead of merely avoiding it, he chose to attack the journalist who had made the proper enquiry.

“Do you think I would tell you if I was making staff changes?” Gundy asked back. “Then why would you ask?”

When the reporter said he was simply doing his job, Gundy continued his answer and even threatened to cut off access to the reporter for asking the question.

“Well I might have to cut you out. Don’t be an ass. Really? Those are people’s lives, man. That’s people’s families. Don’t mess with people’s families. Let’s do this the right way … it’s not fair to people’s families, man.”

Gundy is correct that sometimes there can be a lack of humanity and understanding in fan talks about the job security of coaches, but coaching college football is also by nature an unstable and performance-based job. Long-term stability is uncommon, as those in the industry are well aware, especially since coaches frequently change jobs as they rise through the ranks.

However, posing a polite query about personnel adjustments, such as the one Gundy received after the game, is acceptable. Gundy might have simply stated that he would make decisions on his staff in the upcoming days and weeks. If he had taken that path, his response would have merely been a minor component in a forgettable conversation in a postgame news conference.

 

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