Football Coach at Oklahoma Resigns After Saying ‘Shameful and Hurtful’ Word

Jackson RichmanAug 8th, 2022, 1:24 pm
 
Cale Gundy

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Longtime University of Oklahoma Sooners coach Cale Gundy resigned after saying what he called a “shameful and hurtful word.”

Gundy didn’t specify what the word was. It is still unknown what word Gundy used that led to his resignation.

“Today, with great anguish, I announce my resignation. I apologize to those who are disappointed by this news…,” said Gundy in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

Gundy, who was with Oklahoma between 1999 and Sunday, continued:

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,” Gundy said in a statement, in part. “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. 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.

I want to be very clear: The words that 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.

 

In a statement, Sooners head coach Brent Venables said:

It’s with sadness that I accept Coach Gundy’s resignation. He’s dedicated more than half 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 placed the program and the 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. 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.

L’Damian Washington, who has been serving as an offensive analyst for our program, will coach our wide receivers on an interim basis.

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