Bob Stoops releases statement on Cale Gundy, Oklahoma resignation

On Monday morning, former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops shared a public statement in response to Cale Gundy’s shocking resignation. He said it’s with “great sadness” that he read his former assistant’s statement from Sunday night.

“It’s with great sadness that I’m reading this,” Stoops tweeted. “I’ve worked alongside Cale for 23 years and know him to be a man of character and a person that loves and cares for his players as well as OU. Thank you Cale for all the hard work you poured into our program, it will be remembered!”

Unlike former Sooners running back Joe Mixon, Stoops has not yet publicly advocated for the Oklahoma leadership to reconsider Gundy’s status with the team.

As Gundy describes the incident that led to his resignation, he “noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen.” He said he read “one particular word” — something that “horrified” him afterward.

Venables accepts resignation from long-time assistant Cale Gundy

First-year Sooners head coach Brent Venables accepted Gundy’s resignation on Sunday night and released a statement. He also named former offensive analyst L’Damian Washington as interim receivers coach.

“It’s with sadness that I accept Coach Gundy’s resignation,” read Venables’ statement. “He’s dedicated more than half of 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.”

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this report.