Brent Venables releases statement on Cale Gundy, names L'Damian Washington interim wide receivers coach

After a late-Sunday announcement that long-time Oklahoma coach Cale Gundy would be resigning from the program, coach Brent Venables named his replacement. Gundy was serving as an assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for the Sooners, and his duties as receivers coach will now be taken over by former offensive analyst L’Damian Washington.

Venables shared a statement acknowledging Gundy’s decision to step down, where he named the promotion of Washington.

Brent Venables on Cale Gundy’s resignation

“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.

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

Gundy’s resignation came as a major surprise on Sunday night, having been a fixture in Norman for over 20 years. Gundy began with Oklahoma as a quarterback and spent the past two decades working as a coach for the Sooners.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Gundy explained that an incident occurred during a meeting between himself and a player where he said “one particular word” — something that “horrified” him afterward. While Gundy and Venables did not address what was specifically said, it was enough to prompt Gundy to resign.