Mike Gundy details interaction with Ollie Gordon following arrest
Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy detailed his interaction with star running back Ollie Gordon, following his arrest for DUI, while at Big 12 Media Days.
The arrest was reported on July 1st. Now, a little over a week later, Gundy was being asked about how he’s handled the situation and how Gordon is doing.
“Ollie is doing fine,” Mike Gundy said. “I visited with him multiple times over the last week. To be quite honest with you, yesterday we had another hour conversation. It was the first time that he smiled. I think that it affected him like it would most people. We brought him here today so you guys could ask him that question. That was one of the reasons that I wanted to bring him here. It’s hard for me to speak for Ollie. I can only give you some indication on what I’ve seen over the last week.”
In the wake of the arrest, Mike Gundy made some key decisions regarding Ollie Gordon. The first was to bring him to Big 12 Media Days despite everything he was dealing with. Then, he also decided not to bench Gordon at all and keep any team punishment in-house.
“I sit back and thought about what I thought was best for Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma State football and Ollie as we move forward, and we made decisions,” Gundy said.
Ollie Gordon broke out as a star during the 2023 season, rushing for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“The other thing I shared with Ollie yesterday was, after he decided that he wanted to come to today’s event, that I told him, when this is finished today at 4 o’clock, it’s over for me. I’ve already made the decisions that I think what’s best for you and this team, and you need to make the decisions and the comments what you think is best for yourself and the team,” Gundy said.
“And then after today, it’s over with. And that’s what our goal is, and I think we’ll be able to get that accomplished.”
Ollie Gordon released statement after being arrested on suspicion of DUI
Following his arrest, Ollie Gordon released a statement on the incident.
“I am deeply sorry for the actions that led to my arrest on June 30th. I sincerely apologize to my family, everyone in our program, including our players, Coach Gundy, the staff, Oklahoma State University, and our fans,” Gordon said in a statement.
“Regardless of the outcome of this pending investigation, I did not uphold the values I have for myself and the values of the OSU football program. I am committed to learning and growing from this mistake and I will work to earn back the trust of those who I have disappointed. Thank you.”