OSU coach Mike Gundy sparks fury as he defends star running back’s DUI arrest – and insists: ‘I’ve probably done that a thousand times in my life’
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy caused a stir on social media when he responded to the recent arrest of star player Ollie Gordon II for driving under the influence.
During the Big 12 press conference, Gundy explained why he won’t suspend the 2023 Conference Player of the Year following the incident.
Gundy also said he had researched Oklahoma’s legal blood alcohol limits and admitted he may have driven with excessive blood alcohol levels on multiple occasions.
“I honestly thought, two or three beers, or four — I’m not trying to justify what Ollie did, I’m telling you the decision I made — well, I thought I’d probably done that a thousand times in my life,” Gundy said.
“So, I got lucky. People get lucky. Ollie made a decision that he wishes he could have made better.”
OSU coach Mike Gundy drew ire when he defended his star player after a drunken driving arrest
Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Ollie Gordon will not be suspended for his arrest
On July 2, the Cowboys running back was pulled over after his black 2024 Cadillac was seen weaving and speeding on a local highway. During the arrest, officers claimed to smell “an odor of alcoholic beverage” coming from the vehicle.
After searching his car, officers reported finding a half-full bottle of vodka soda and a half-full bottle of tequila. Gordon also reportedly told police he had one drink. However, his blood alcohol content samples were .11 and .10, both above the .08 state limit.
Gundy claimed his player was “a great person who made a mistake” and decided not to suspend the running back, believing a one-game suspension would do nothing for Gordon or the team.
On July 2, Gordon was pulled over after his 2024 Cadillac was seen weaving and speeding
Gordon’s samples came in at .10 and .11, both just over Oklahoma’s legal limit of .08
In a video of his response, users called his answer horrible and pathetic. Meanwhile, another user wrote: ‘How about using this as a learning experience. I’ve probably done it a thousand times??? Man, not good.’
Despite refusing to take disciplinary action, Gundy acknowledged the dangers Gordon’s actions could have caused. The coach also stressed that Gordon was “lucky” that nothing tragic happened on the road.
“Nobody was hurt. We see people doing this and people losing their lives all over the country. Not just [from] Footballers, but everyone, so you were lucky.’
Gundy also said that Gordon came to the media day to enjoy music in front of the general public.
Gordon insisted on attending the media day to take accountability for his irresponsible actions
Gundy said Gordon is a “great person who made a mistake” and that “he’s lucky no one got hurt.”
“We can say these guys are not employees, but they are employees. These guys are getting paid a lot of money,” he said.
“That’s fine, but there has to be a flip side to what they’re doing. They have to, for lack of a better term, face the consequences and take responsibility for what happened.”
After insisting on attending the media activities, Gordon apologized for his arrest and said he would learn from his mistakes and grow.