Cowboys Postpone Monday Practice Due to Flu Outbreak
STILLWATER – It was a sight that hasn’t been seen very often, if ever, with Oklahoma State football. The only occasions that I can remember had to do with weather and happened before the Sherman Smith Training Center was finished. The Oklahoma State players were all suited up. The equipment staff had everything in the Sherman Smith ready for the start of practice, practice dummys, Gatorade and water dispensers, passing nets, etc. Then right before practice was about to start it was called off.
“We were suited up in the locker room and the message came on our Teamworks that practice was cancelled,” said offensive left guard Cole Birmingham.
“We’re the only ones over here,” punter Tom Hutton said. “We’re grinders and that’s why we’re the only ones over here,” Hutton joked.
The specialists actually did stay over for another 20-30 minutes and worked on their snaps and punt operation.
Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy cleared it up for media that was in Stillwater for a media availability with Gundy and some of the players when he met with them across Hall of Fame Ave. in the West End Zone team room.
“We have some players with the flu and just thought it was best to not bring everybody over there where it could spread and we could end up having 15 or more players with it,” Gundy said.
Gundy cleared it us saying there were six players that he knew of that had the flu. Birmingham said he wasn’t certain that starting offensive left tackle Caleb Etienne had flu, but he knew he was out sick. That makes even more sense because the offensive line numbers are down this spring due to players that are rehabbing after postseason surgery and other players that transferred out.
It comes down to common sense.
“None of it was COVID or scary looking at all, just Type A flu,” Gundy explained. “It can be very contagious, and it is just six guys, but if we go over there then it could spread. We can get it under control in 36 hours.”
Gundy said the practice will be made up the final week of spring leading up to the Spring Finale practice on Saturday, April 23. That means the team could have a regular practice week of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then come back for the finale on Saturday.
“Forever flu was flu and when you got it you went home and when your fever went down then you went back to school,” Gundy said. “That is how we are handling it. We don’t have a game to prepare for. If we did, we would have had to send the players with the flu home and then practiced best we could without them.”