Longtime Oklahoma Sooners football assistant Cale Gundy resigns after reading aloud 'shameful' word off player's iPad

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per ESPN:

Cale Gundy, a fixture on the Oklahoma sideline and the longest-tenured football coach in the Big 12, resigned Sunday night, saying that he read aloud "a word that I should never -- under any circumstance -- have uttered" off the screen of a player's iPad during a film session last week.

He said he noticed that a player, who was supposed to be taking notes during a film session, was distracted and said he picked up the player's iPad and read the words on the screen, including the unspecified term.

"The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so," Gundy wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account. "In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for this mistake. I apologize."

Gundy said that in the moment he "did not even realize" what he was reading and, as soon as he did, "I was horrified."

"I want to be very clear: the words I read aloud from that screen were not my words. What I said was not malicious; it wasn't even intentional," Gundy wrote. "Still, I am mature enough to know that the word I said was shameful and hurtful, no matter my intentions."

Gundy, 50, the younger brother of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, played quarterback for the Sooners from 1990 to 1993, setting nearly every school record by the time he graduated. He then returned as part of Bob Stoops' first staff in 1999 and had been a part of all of Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles and its 2000 national championship. He spent 16 years as the running backs coach, followed by seven more coaching inside receivers, and was OU's assistant head coach.

First-year Sooners head coach Brent Venables, who served as an assistant alongside Gundy from 1999 to 2011 in Norman, issued a corresponding statement Sunday night.

"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," Venables said. "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."

On Monday, Venables issued another statement noting that Gundy said the word "multiple times."

"Coach Gundy resigned from the program because he knows what he did was wrong," Venables said Monday. "He chose to read aloud to his players, not once, but multiple times, a racially charged word that is objectionable to everyone, and does not reflect the attitude and values of our university or our football program."


Go Gophers!!
 



He seems like a man of integrity. If it was the N word, then it brings up the terrible double standard of that word. If you are negro in color, you can speak to other negro skinned persons using the "n" word without any impunity. But not being negro in skin pigmentation, using the "n" word is tantamount to dropping a hundred f-bombs in your boss.
From the sounds of it, Gundy was reading what a player wrote. Has that player been expelled from Oklahoma? Has that player apologized profusely? Has that player received any consequences other than seeing a man of integrity resign because he read out loud what that player actually wrote? If I read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn out loud to an English Lit class and I read the "n" word that is on the page, will I need to resign while my black counterpart can read it without impunity?

This cancel culture is entirely f&cked up.
 

He seems like a man of integrity. If it was the N word, then it brings up the terrible double standard of that word. If you are negro in color, you can speak to other negro skinned persons using the "n" word without any impunity. But not being negro in skin pigmentation, using the "n" word is tantamount to dropping a hundred f-bombs in your boss.
From the sounds of it, Gundy was reading what a player wrote. Has that player been expelled from Oklahoma? Has that player apologized profusely? Has that player received any consequences other than seeing a man of integrity resign because he read out loud what that player actually wrote? If I read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn out loud to an English Lit class and I read the "n" word that is on the page, will I need to resign while my black counterpart can read it without impunity?

This cancel culture is entirely f&cked up.
I mean I agree it seems crazy that this guy lost his job, but you really don't understand why there's a different standard when it comes to using that word? Come on.
 



He seems like a man of integrity. If it was the N word, then it brings up the terrible double standard of that word. If you are negro in color, you can speak to other negro skinned persons using the "n" word without any impunity. But not being negro in skin pigmentation, using the "n" word is tantamount to dropping a hundred f-bombs in your boss.
From the sounds of it, Gundy was reading what a player wrote. Has that player been expelled from Oklahoma? Has that player apologized profusely? Has that player received any consequences other than seeing a man of integrity resign because he read out loud what that player actually wrote? If I read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn out loud to an English Lit class and I read the "n" word that is on the page, will I need to resign while my black counterpart can read it without impunity?

This cancel culture is entirely f&cked up.

🥱
 

Incidents like this are the number one reason I am ecstatic that the Gophers hired PJ Fleck. I know, without a doubt, that he will never do this, and if someone on this staff does it, they won't be on the staff much longer.

I thought the yelling and aggression was normal until I saw this guy at work and I'm super happy that he's the guy representing the U.
 

I mean I agree it seems crazy that this guy lost his job, but you really don't understand why there's a different standard when it comes to using that word? Come on.
I understand that the different standard is hypocritical. A negro man can disrespect another negro man and it's laughed off. If the word is that terrible (and it is a derogatory slang) then no one should use it. Anything else is hypocritical.
 




I understand that the different standard is hypocritical. A negro man can disrespect another negro man and it's laughed off. If the word is that terrible (and it is a derogatory slang) then no one should use it. Anything else is hypocritical.
If you can't understand the difference between a white and black person using the word then you have more to learn than I can offer up. It shouldn't bother you that you can't use the word.
 

Incidents like this are the number one reason I am ecstatic that the Gophers hired PJ Fleck. I know, without a doubt, that he will never do this, and if someone on this staff does it, they won't be on the staff much longer.

I thought the yelling and aggression was normal until I saw this guy at work and I'm super happy that he's the guy representing the U.
Will never do what exactly?

Read the words that someone else wrote? If those words are deemed offensive the person reading them should be fired?
 

This is one of those judgement things. The act is one thing. What this says about his judgement is another and possibly even more worrying.

Hard to know about a guys judgement when he does that.
 



If you’re white and you don’t understand the usage difference with the “n” word, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you also don’t understand why it shouldn’t be “all lives matter” and you are probably wondering why there isn’t a “straight pride” month. Just a hunch.
 

If you’re white and you don’t understand the usage difference with the “n” word, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you also don’t understand why it shouldn’t be “all lives matter” and you are probably wondering why there isn’t a “straight pride” month. Just a hunch.
As a proud member of the men's rights movement I am shocked and appalled by your comment.
 

I understand that the different standard is hypocritical. A negro man can disrespect another negro man and it's laughed off. If the word is that terrible (and it is a derogatory slang) then no one should use it. Anything else is hypocritical.

So do you also get upset when one woman calls another woman the B-word in friendly conversation but then they are offended when a man calls one of them the same word?
 


Predictably, no one is reading between the lines here, and everyone immediately defaults to a "culture wars" debate.

You really think, at Oklahoma, they just up and fire a coach who wants to be there because he read the N word off of some player's tablet who wasn't paying attention in meetings?

And the coach just says "Aw dangit! I done messed up. Shucks, oh well, see ya!"

The coach doesn't make any effort to stay? Doesn't just issue a public apology, and they move on? At worst maybe suspend?


No.
 

Predictably, no one is reading between the lines here, and everyone immediately defaults to a "culture wars" debate.

You really think, at Oklahoma, they just up and fire a coach who wants to be there because he read the N word off of some player's tablet who wasn't paying attention in meetings?

And the coach just says "Aw dangit! I done messed up. Shucks, oh well, see ya!"

The coach doesn't make any effort to stay? Doesn't just issue a public apology, and they move on? At worst maybe suspend?


No.
There's almost certainly more to this than what is being released to the public.
 

What I read in other comments sections is that there was animosity with the new head coach and this guy. No idea why he kept him in the first place, then. Maybe pressured by donors or who knows.
 

What I read in other comments sections is that there was animosity with the new head coach and this guy. No idea why he kept him in the first place, then. Maybe pressured by donors or who knows.
Reasonable theory I've heard is that like you said, Venables wasn't a fan of the guy, but he's been at OU for 20+ years and was very popular, so BV was looking for an excuse to fire him and found it.
 

So, if Im reading Huck Finn by Tom Sawyer for the first time allowed and simply read the words on the page, I am to be forever scorned in front of my audience?

Our entire society is whacked out these days.

Gundy has been a student, a player and a coach at Oklahoma for nearly 30 years with a reported clean past and many of his former players have already spoken in his defense. This seems like a weird way to way to want to resign with this stigma attached for quite a while.

Of course the N word is taboo, and it should be, but reading it allowed from a tablet seems like a mistake, not a reason to lose your livelihood.
 
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Keep in mind the guy resigned and wasn't fired, just saying.
 

Keep in mind the guy resigned and wasn't fired, just saying.
But that just this easy: "OK coach, I'm going to allow you to resign for this and get your buy out. Refuse? I'll fire your ass for cause, you won't get jack squat, and I'll blackball you to everyone seeking a reference"
 

Will never do what exactly?

Read the words that someone else wrote? If those words are deemed offensive the person reading them should be fired?
I'm not sure if you've noticed this but PJ doesn't swear. He goes out of his way to avoid using words that he feels create a toxic environment. So I have no doubt that he would not read the n-word off of an iPad.

Moreover, his response to George Floyd was to take the long view and allow (perhaps even encourage) his players to participate in demonstration marches and use social media to make what others consider political statements. I doubt he would turnaround and flush that goodwill in a moment of rage because a 20-year-old kid wasn't paying attention in film session.
 

I'm not sure if you've noticed this but PJ doesn't swear. He goes out of his way to avoid using words that he feels create a toxic environment. So I have no doubt that he would not read the n-word off of an iPad.

Moreover, his response to George Floyd was to take the long view and allow (perhaps even encourage) his players to participate in demonstration marches and use social media to make what others consider political statements. I doubt he would turnaround and flush that goodwill in a moment of rage because a 20-year-old kid wasn't paying attention in film session.
Oh, I don't know. I'm not a lip reader, but when he went off on the refs in the Outback Bowl, sure looked like he was swearing plenty.
 

I can't help thinking about a certain Anchorman teleprompter scene while reading this story! You can't make it up!
 

So, if Im reading Huck Finn by Tom Sawyer for the first time allowed and simply read the words on the page, I am to be forever scorned in front of my audience?
I would think it would be weird if you just started loudly reading passages with the N word from Tom Sawyer out of the blue like at a football meeting (or at McDonalds, the produce aisle at Supertarget, etc), and then read it over and over again.

If you were in a literature class or book club it would be different. Context matters. Your audience matters.

However, I do feel our society is so quick to fire people these days. We don't have all the details in this case and maybe it's not his first time or maybe as some have said, Venables was just looking for an excuse to fire him. But just in general I think we're too quick to fire people. I am a believer that people can change and be educated and should be given a chance to show that they have changed.
 

If you can't understand the difference between a white and black person using the word then you have more to learn than I can offer up. It shouldn't bother you that you can't use the word.
Gundy read what the player wrote or received on his iPad. He didn’t “use it”.
 

Gundy read what the player wrote or received on his iPad. He didn’t “use it”.
The post from MennoSota specifically mentioned the double standard in using the word. I was not addressing what Gundy did, but rather explaining that there is a difference when it comes to use of the word.
 




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