Yahoo Finance Mike Gundy vows to make 'changes' in joint statement with Chuba Hubbard after OAN T-shirt uproar
Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy promised to make changes on Monday after star running back Chuba Hubbard threatened to boycott the program over Gundy’s support of an extremist news network.
Hubbard, a Heisman Trophy candidate, vowed earlier Monday to not do “anything” with Oklahoma State “until things change” after Gundy was spotted wearing an OAN T-shirt after a fishing trip. Hubbard’s vow drew the support of several of his Cowboys teammates, including all-conference linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.
OAN stands for One America News Network, an extreme right-wing network known for pushing conspiracy theories that has recently been under fire after host Liz Wheeler called Black Lives Matter a “farce.”
Gundy made his promise in a video while standing alongside Hubbard.
‘We’ve got good days ahead’
Change is coming I promise you that. pic.twitter.com/wTGHtByh3N
— Chuba Hubbard (@Hubbard_RMN) June 15, 2020
“In light of today’s tweet with the T-shirt I was wearing, I met with some players and realize it’s a very sensitive issue with what’s going on in today’s society,” Gundy said. “We had a great meeting. It made me aware of some things that players feel like could make our organization and our culture even better than it is here at Oklahoma State.
“I’m looking forward to making some changes, and it starts at the top with me. And we’ve got good days ahead.”
Gundy did not apologize. Hubbard did.
“I’ll start off by first saying that I went about it the wrong way by tweeting,” Hubbard said. “I’m not someone that has to tweet something to make change. I should have went to him as a man. I’m more about action. That was bad on my part.
“From now on, we’re gonna focus on bringing change. And that’s the most important thing.”
The two then embraced.
Ogbongbemiga then tweeted his support of the vow to create change at Oklahoma State.
By voicing our opinion we are happy to have came to a conclusion and opened a gateway to create some serious CHANGE around Oklahoma State. My teammates and I have all agreed we will go ahead and resume all workouts and activities. We’re all in this together✊🏾
— Amen Ogbongbemiga (@closedprayer) June 15, 2020
Hubbard then declared that his foot is “still on the gas.”
No don’t get it twisted. Foots still on the gas. Results are coming. It’s not over.
— Chuba Hubbard (@Hubbard_RMN) June 16, 2020
What is OAN?
OAN, also known as OANN, is a fringe right-wing network that’s seen its profile raised by support from President Donald Trump. Trump recently cited a baseless OANN report in a tweet suggesting that the 75-year-old-man injured after being shoved by Buffalo police during a protest was “an Antifa provocateur.”
Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2020
According to the New York Times, the man who was left on the pavement bleeding from his head is a peace activist who works with human-rights groups and the Catholic Worker movement.
Gundy’s previous controversies
Gundy has publicly praised the network in the past.
“It’s One America News,” Gundy said of the network during an April news conference. “It was so refreshing. They just report the news. There’s no commentary. There’s no opinions. There’s no left. There’s no right.”
That statement came amid another Gundy controversy as he called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” and insisted that his unpaid football players return to campus to ensure the financial well-being of the state of Oklahoma.
“They are 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 years old and they are healthy and they have the ability to fight this virus off,” Gundy said. “If that is true, then we sequester them and continue because we need to run money through the state of Oklahoma.”
Gundy has coached at Oklahoma State since 2005, leading the Cowboys to a 129-64 record, including a 9-5 record in bowl games. He entered the national consciousness in 2007 with his “I’m a man, I’m 40!” rant during a news conference.
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