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Oklahoma State Football

Things Have Deteriorated, Media and Fans Are Better Loyal, True, and Classy

December 28, 2022
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – You don’t have to like the result of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Things have changed in a calendar year. In a few days it will be the year anniversary of Oklahoma State pulling off the thrilling comeback to beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and finish as a top 10 team with a 12-2 record. Tuesday night Oklahoma State at least kept pushing and even lucked out with a fourth quarter touchdown and added a field goal to get back in a game that looked long gone before losing to Wisconsin 24-17.  

Sitting in the postgame press conference between two of his players in Jason Taylor II and Brennan Presley, Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy did not deserve this.

Gundy was asked by a reporter whether he planned to make staff changes. Anyone with experience as a competitor would know that is too soon to go that direction. The wounds are too fresh from a season with a rough finish. Besides, these are coaches and staff that have been responsible for a lot of wins and success. They deserve more respect as does Gundy and those players sitting with him. 

Those people will all be on a charter flight home tomorrow and it is not fair for wives and children to hear that from a press conference and wonder if their lives are about to change drastically. There is a procedure. Is Mike Gundy going to examine his program, players, schemes, coaches, staff. Yes, he does every season. Could he make changes? Sure, and he has before. Is he going to announce it first to the media? No.

There is a classy way to run a program and to deal with people that have worked hard and given great effort to contribute to a football program. That is the way Mike Gundy has and will continue to run his program. 

There is also a way for media members to act and conduct themselves. I get it. The social media and Twitter world where people can act foolish and choose if they want to be identified has outrageous takes all the time. I’ve dealt with some of this myself this season at Triple Play Sports Radio. Fans can, and often do step over the line. It is, unfortunately the society we live in. Media don’t need to act like fans. They too are professionals. They are supposed to be. 

If there will be changes, they will happen. I know that Mike Gundy intends to change some facets of the program. There are things that he firmly believes can be done better and must be done better. There will be a time and a place to address any and all of those. It was not in that media room in Chase Field after a tough loss to Wisconsin. 

Discussion from...

Things Have Deteriorated, Media and Fans Are Better Loyal, True, and Classy

26,711 Views | 110 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by CaliforniaCowboy
Joe Khatib
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It is what it is Robert Allen, that is the world we live in today! You don't have to like it but that is the reality we live with today, you win big, you get accolades, you falter and lose you get the rotten vegetables thrown at you!
Pokes4158
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I respect gundys intentions. There is a time and place for everything but man I don't like this good ol boy system we have in place. I can just see is running it back and using the injury excuse and I will be vastly disappointed if that happens. It's not great that we can't shine a light on issue's because it upsets Gundy. So if it's just trust in the ball coach I lose faith because I really don't know if he will do what needs to be done
DontTreadOnPete
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The reporter's question was a fair one. I wouldn't expect Gundy to actually announce staff changes at a press conference, but he needs to learn how to handle tough questions better. Taking shots back at the reporter isn't exactly classy on Gundy's on behalf. If he doesn't want to answer the question, just say "no comment" or "I'm not going to answer that" or some coach speak about "we are constantly evaluating ways to improve…" and then move on.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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Maybe there's a better place, time or topic to post the following, but I'll do it here. I've contemplated and drafted the following over the last month, so don't view it as a knee-jerk reaction to last night's loss. I'll probably re-post on another lively thread in the future.

I'm completely disenchanted with college sports. Over the past 40+ years I have donated waaay in excess of 7 figures to the athletic department in support of the athletes. My donations have helped provide funding for top shelf coaches, facilities, training, equipment, schooling, tutors, board and medical care - all for the benefit of the athletes. In return we/I got a commitment to the school from the athletes for a period of time (up to 5 years) for them to either finish their education or advance their sports career professionally. A fair trade as a fan and alumnus. However, now with the portal and seemingly unfettered transfer opportunities combined with unregulated NIL $$$ to attract athletes away from the university before completing their "commitment", us willing donors get cheated out of our investment. Yes, those athletes that choose to transfer are replaced with new athletes, either transfers, JUCO or HS signees, but it's turning into a pay for play money grab - a model I do not embrace for college sports.

Though I was never a proponent of either the portal or NIL, I thought there was at least a small chance they wouldn't completely change the dynamics of college sports. But because there are essentially "no rules" for transferring or NIL benefits, that small chance has come and gone, forever. I had hoped schools wouldn't recruit off of other schools rosters with the promise of ever increasing NIL $$$. I had hoped star athletes would maintain their status they achieved by staying committed to their chosen school. I had hoped athletes that had earned starter status would stay committed to their chosen school. I had hoped developing athletes with the clear potential to contribute in the future to their chosen school would remain committed. I had hoped good coaches would retain the commitment of quality individuals. I had hoped athletes would feel some semblance of commitment to the fans and donors which provided them the coaches, facilities, training, education, etc… they enjoy. I had hoped the concept of "team" would for the most part defeat the concept of "me". My "hopes" in each and every case have largely been dashed by the pursuit of $$$ and potentially greener pastures. The concept of commitment is apparently nothing more than a passing thought to the modern-day college athlete. No longer is the commitment by the fans/donors matched in any way by an in-kind commitment from the athletes. Is it the athletes fault? In a way, yes. But it's mainly the fault of the system and the lawyers that promoted and litigated for changes.

And since my participation in the system as a donor is completely voluntary, I suppose I do not have to participate. Unless there are changes to NIL and the portal (such as deferral of all NIL benefits until graduation from the school during which those benefits were earned), I choose not to participate further as a donor, and become only a passive, sometimes uninterested fan.
tulsasig
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Why is anyone surprised that the media has no class? They show their true colors every day. Why not just hold Gundy accountable for a very disappointing season when the best players on the team headed for other pastures. Despite the poor overall performance, I was proud of the players who obviously played hard all game long. Everybody knows that major improvements are required in both recruiting and coaching in order to become a championship team.
Joe Khatib
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GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

Maybe there's a better place, time or topic to post the following, but I'll do it here. I've contemplated and drafted the following over the last month, so don't view it as a knee-jerk reaction to last night's loss. I'll probably re-post on another lively thread in the future.

I'm completely disenchanted with college sports. Over the past 40+ years I have donated waaay in excess of 7 figures to the athletic department in support of the athletes. My donations have helped provide funding for top shelf coaches, facilities, training, equipment, schooling, tutors, board and medical care - all for the benefit of the athletes. In return we/I got a commitment to the school from the athletes for a period of time (up to 5 years) for them to either finish their education or advance their sports career professionally. A fair trade as a fan and alumnus. However, now with the portal and seemingly unfettered transfer opportunities combined with unregulated NIL $$$ to attract athletes away from the university before completing their "commitment", us willing donors get cheated out of our investment. Yes, those athletes that choose to transfer are replaced with new athletes, either transfers, JUCO or HS signees, but it's turning into a pay for play money grab - a model I do not embrace for college sports.

Though I was never a proponent of either the portal or NIL, I thought there was at least a small chance they wouldn't completely change the dynamics of college sports. But because there are essentially "no rules" for transferring or NIL benefits, that small chance has come and gone, forever. I had hoped schools wouldn't recruit off of other schools rosters with the promise of ever increasing NIL $$$. I had hoped star athletes would maintain their status they achieved by staying committed to their chosen school. I had hoped athletes that had earned starter status would stay committed to their chosen school. I had hoped developing athletes with the clear potential to contribute in the future to their chosen school would remain committed. I had hoped good coaches would retain the commitment of quality individuals. I had hoped athletes would feel some semblance of commitment to the fans and donors which provided them the coaches, facilities, training, education, etc… they enjoy. I had hoped the concept of "team" would for the most part defeat the concept of "me". My "hopes" in each and every case have largely been dashed by the pursuit of $$$ and potentially greener pastures. The concept of commitment is apparently nothing more than a passing thought to the modern-day college athlete. No longer is the commitment by the fans/donors matched in any way by an in-kind commitment from the athletes. Is it the athletes fault? In a way, yes. But it's mainly the fault of the system and the lawyers that promoted and litigated for changes.

And since my participation in the system as a donor is completely voluntary, I suppose I do not have to participate. Unless there are changes to NIL and the portal (such as deferral of all NIL benefits until graduation from the school during which those benefits were earned), I choose not to participate further as a donor, and become only a passive, sometimes uninterested fan.
Good post Gumby, I know my family has put well over six figures in donations over the past fifty years and I also donated to a collective in 2022 and will probably throw money in there again in 2023 (It has to be done to compete I guess)! I just wish this new head of the NCAA would grab the bull by the horns and get control of this NIL business and establish hard and fast rules that will get a school in serious trouble if they are violating said rules! This portal will probably be the reason you see at least three new starters on the offensive line coming out of this upcoming Spring and has allowed us to upgrade in a couple of other areas if you believe the talking head experts out there! I know at least four of the guys who went in the portal were chasing NIL $$$$$$$$$$$ and I guess you can't blame them if the opportunity is there! Well onto my next favorite sport coming up in the next couple of months Cowboy Baseball! I just hope I don't get stuck here in Phoenix for the next couple of days because of Southwest Airlines, Ugh!
Pokes4158
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I agree he could have handled it better but man that timing was trash. Like a kick guy when he is down type timing
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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Joe Khatib said:

GumbyFromPokeyLand said:

Maybe there's a better place, time or topic to post the following, but I'll do it here. I've contemplated and drafted the following over the last month, so don't view it as a knee-jerk reaction to last night's loss. I'll probably re-post on another lively thread in the future.

I'm completely disenchanted with college sports. Over the past 40+ years I have donated waaay in excess of 7 figures to the athletic department in support of the athletes. My donations have helped provide funding for top shelf coaches, facilities, training, equipment, schooling, tutors, board and medical care - all for the benefit of the athletes. In return we/I got a commitment to the school from the athletes for a period of time (up to 5 years) for them to either finish their education or advance their sports career professionally. A fair trade as a fan and alumnus. However, now with the portal and seemingly unfettered transfer opportunities combined with unregulated NIL $$$ to attract athletes away from the university before completing their "commitment", us willing donors get cheated out of our investment. Yes, those athletes that choose to transfer are replaced with new athletes, either transfers, JUCO or HS signees, but it's turning into a pay for play money grab - a model I do not embrace for college sports.

Though I was never a proponent of either the portal or NIL, I thought there was at least a small chance they wouldn't completely change the dynamics of college sports. But because there are essentially "no rules" for transferring or NIL benefits, that small chance has come and gone, forever. I had hoped schools wouldn't recruit off of other schools rosters with the promise of ever increasing NIL $$$. I had hoped star athletes would maintain their status they achieved by staying committed to their chosen school. I had hoped athletes that had earned starter status would stay committed to their chosen school. I had hoped developing athletes with the clear potential to contribute in the future to their chosen school would remain committed. I had hoped good coaches would retain the commitment of quality individuals. I had hoped athletes would feel some semblance of commitment to the fans and donors which provided them the coaches, facilities, training, education, etc… they enjoy. I had hoped the concept of "team" would for the most part defeat the concept of "me". My "hopes" in each and every case have largely been dashed by the pursuit of $$$ and potentially greener pastures. The concept of commitment is apparently nothing more than a passing thought to the modern-day college athlete. No longer is the commitment by the fans/donors matched in any way by an in-kind commitment from the athletes. Is it the athletes fault? In a way, yes. But it's mainly the fault of the system and the lawyers that promoted and litigated for changes.

And since my participation in the system as a donor is completely voluntary, I suppose I do not have to participate. Unless there are changes to NIL and the portal (such as deferral of all NIL benefits until graduation from the school during which those benefits were earned), I choose not to participate further as a donor, and become only a passive, sometimes uninterested fan.
Good post Gumby, I know my family has put well over six figures in donations over the past fifty years and I also donated to a collective in 2022 and will probably throw money in there again in 2023 (It has to be done to compete I guess)! I just wish this new head of the NCAA would grab the bull by the horns and get control of this NIL business and establish hard and fast rules that will get a school in serious trouble if they are violating said rules! This portal will probably be the reason you see at least three new starters on the offensive line coming out of this upcoming Spring and has allowed us to upgrade in a couple of other areas if you believe the talking head experts out there! I know at least four of the guys who went in the portal were chasing NIL $$$$$$$$$$$ and I guess you can't blame them if the opportunity is there! Well onto my next favorite sport coming up in the next couple of months Cowboy Baseball! I just hope I don't get stuck here in Phoenix for the next couple of days because of Southwest Airlines, Ugh!


I simply refuse to contribute to the problem - athletes chasing $$$ with absolutely no regard for the fans/donors/school/coaches that gave them their commitment. College sports has largely lost its attraction.
PaloDuroPoke
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Great post and my feelings exactly. I get that players have given their time and effort but they receive great benefits at our university. The investment made by the university through alumni and donor support is not valued many times. Sanders for example gave us a lot. This university through our donations gave him a lot as well. I'm not picking on him but his decision, and others, looks bad and ungrateful in my eyes. It's not just him. Our society is rewarding selfishness and my fear is that alumni will not reward that behavior. It's the culture we have and grew up with.
eddy.mcdaniels
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No one cares about this.
CaliforniaCowboy
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YEAH ROBERT!!

Some things need to be said, and some folks need to be called out for being insensitive jerks. The so-called media have crossed the line of decency.

Thank you for waving the torch and pointing the crowd towards actual civil discourse.

Bravo.

Well Done.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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PaloDuroPoke said:

Great post and my feelings exactly. I get that players have given their time and effort but they receive great benefits at our university. The investment made by the university through alumni and donor support is not valued many times. Sanders for example gave us a lot. This university through our donations gave him a lot as well. I'm not picking on him but his decision, and others, looks bad and ungrateful in my eyes. It's not just him. Our society is rewarding selfishness and my fear is that alumni will not reward that behavior. It's the culture we have and grew up with.


IMO, beyond a degree, no amount of effort, achievement or time absolves an athlete of their commitment to the university, and more importantly it's donors, that first made their commitment to the athlete. Sanders included.
GreyGhost
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1. Marshall was wrong for asking that question in that setting. He posted about it on twitter and admitted so in not so many words.

2. Gundy's response was as juvenile as the question. He needs to be better. His best response should have been "I appreciate that you are trying to do your job, but this isn't the time or place for that question or response" and then move on.

3. For mid 6 figures, of which 25% will be donated back to NIL, I am available for media relations consulting.
POOBAPOKE
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Souring.
rcfb
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As a highest paid individual in state of Oklahoma, Gundy should expect tough questions from anyone from media all the time.

Gundy sanpped yesterday and threatened livelihood of a member. Sooner he does something about it, the better. Expecting media members to not ask tough questions is laughable. And trying to control them using media access is further laughable.

And going after the reporter here in this story is not really helpful for Gundy or OSU.
principalg
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GreyGhost,

I agree with number 2. After the bs performance by our offense this year, I believe I would be a little less arrogant in my response.

There has to be staff changes on offense. My goodness, play calling and offensive line play have been pathetic all year. If I was as inept as Dickey and Dunn, you would not have to fire me. I would resign.
Cdub234
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At what point do schools start to simply pull scholarships from a kid they deem isn't living up to his potential or even from injured players? A large number of the kids now don't even know what the word "commitment" means, and after seeing some of our guys leave and their statements, they have a poor grasp of what the words "loyal", "true" and "forever" also mean.

And I'm with you all, the transfer portal now combined with out of control NIL $ is ruining the sport we love and have supported financially and in the stands for decades.
Crazed_Stallion
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The question was perfect and needed to be asked. Gundy is a big baby. Remember "everyone relax" after the Kstate game? Question was fair and he won't speak to the media again until maybe February. You could answer with a non answer. Gundy's team lost 6 of the last 7, he absolutely deserved this question.
Duke Silver
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Crazed_Stallion said:

The question was perfect and needed to be asked. Gundy is a big baby. Remember "everyone relax" after the Kstate game? Question was fair and he won't speak to the media again until maybe February. You could answer with a non answer. Gundy's team lost 6 of the last 7, he absolutely deserved this question.
Gundy did. The problem is that it is not Gundy that is harmed by the question. He is protecting his staff until he can speak to them first. Face to face. This response is a big baby response. These are jobs and families lives that we are talking about not your internet feelings.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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Could Gundy have been more diplomatic? Sure. But diplomacy only begets more stupid questions. At some point the media needs to be more thoughtful and quit being lazy. Any person with a brain knows 3 things. 1. Final staff evaluations have yet to be completed. 2. Even if evaluations have been completed, there's no way a coach, especially Gundy would have a meaningful comment 15 minutes after a game. 3. A good reporter asks appropriate questions at the appropriate time if they ever have hopes of getting good info out of a coach.

Anybody defending the reporter is only defending a persons right to be stupid - which I guess everybody has a right to be. Well executed or not, at least Gundy was attempting to invoke his right to protect his program and its coaches, and from future stupid questions. Hard to be too harsh on his sentiment.

Additional thought. Should Gundy be held accountable as many are demanding? Absolutely. But demanding accountability 15 minutes after a game? That's fans/ reporters just being ignorant.
MycatToby
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There was absolutely nothing wrong with that question. It's routine and Mike could have easily made into a non-story. I subscribe to this website because I think RA does a wonderful job in recruiting especially around the summer camps. But let's be real, he's little more than a Gundy mouthpiece and I do find it disappointing that he never asks any tonight questions of Mike. That last night is the basics of what journalism is supposed to look like, an attempt to hold someone accountable and understand their mindset as they are about to make decisions they are paid $7mil to make. Unfortunately, Mike reacted harshly because he's been able to skip basic questions for so long due to chummy nature he has with certain media (specifically RA), it's nice that someone is back to trying to hold Mike accountable. I wanted that question asked, it's not just that outlet asking, it's me, the fan, his stakeholder, asking through the media as my intermediary. So Gundy wasn't just telling PFB off, he's telling me off, which is not appreciated.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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Cdub234 said:

At what point do schools start to simply pull scholarships from a kid they deem isn't living up to his potential or even from injured players? A large number of the kids now don't even know what the word "commitment" means, and after seeing some of our guys leave and their statements, they have a poor grasp of what the words "loyal", "true" and "forever" also mean.

And I'm with you all, the transfer portal now combined with out of control NIL $ is ruining the sport we love and have supported financially and in the stands for decades.


I believe all P5 schools by rule are required to provide scholarship athletes a 5 year scholarships to complete 4 years of eligibility. Point being, the rules require a commitment from the school without a commensurate commitment from the athlete. System broken in so many ways.
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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Crazed_Stallion said:

The question was perfect and needed to be asked. Gundy is a big baby. Remember "everyone relax" after the Kstate game? Question was fair and he won't speak to the media again until maybe February. You could answer with a non answer. Gundy's team lost 6 of the last 7, he absolutely deserved this question.


Are your Zeros gonna play today?
Joe Khatib
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Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Gumby, it will be interesting if Zero U finishes 6-7 after a loss to Florida State if old Brent gets asked the same question!!!
Joe Khatib
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Yes, unfortunately you had four or five of these guys in the portal chasing a $$$$$$$$$ NIL deal!
CaliforniaCowboy
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I hope Bartlett gets OrangePower back up soon so we can ditch all these new freaking whiners that don't know how to behave themselves on a forum.

Joe Khatib
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Yup Grey Ghost, he should have just said I have no comment and then said next question!
gary121853
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I too have contributed to Cowboy Athletics at a high rate for 40(+) years. There is always enough blame to go around in situations like what unfolded in Gundy's post game presser. Interesting (if not revealing) that Gundy has had embarrasing PR situations throughout his career. Last night, was yet 1 more example. He reinforced that he still struggles with using 'good judgement' sometimes (like all of us). Last nite he went a step further when he 'personalized' the exchange by calling the reporter an 'ass' and then 'threatened' the reporter with 'access' for gosh sakes! To every 'booster' that should be very revealing......Gundy could have made his point by simply responding ...."there is a better time and place to respond to that question'
OSUgary
gary121853
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To me? It is also an example that indeed, Gundy does not 'hold dominion' over the FB Program. If i was AD or President I would most definitely, have Gundy issue a statement of some sort ....
OSUgary
tayloryork
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Gundy's tirade was so far below classy it's sad. A simple "I have no comment" would have been said by any other big 12 coach but Gundy doesn't have the self control, pr training, or mental ability to bring those words together.
PaloDuroPoke
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Like is the case in most conflict, both are to blame. Dumb, I'll timed question by someone looking for attention and the response was equally childish from someone showing frustration towards the inevitable decisions coming soon. Reporter apologized for the timing. Coach should do the same.
LS1Z28
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The college game is quickly shifting to towards a pro model. Professional coaches are asked difficult questions like this all the time. The days of good ole boy reporters like Robert Allen lofting coaches softball questions may be coming to an end. Coach Gundy is going to have to grow some thicker skin if he's going to survive.

After finishing 1-5, our entire fan base is asking whether or not there will be any staff changes. The reporter was doing his job by asking the question. If the answer to the question was no, Coach Gundy may have actually answered it. His response suggests that there will be staff changes to come.

I agree that this wasn't the right time to ask the question, but this is likely the last time the media will have access to Coach Gundy for several weeks, if not months. I can't blame the reporter for doing his job. I've always supported Coach Gundy, but I thought his response last night was very unprofessional.
1slowpoke
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I still support Gundy for the restraint and controlling his anger and now the reporter understands the errors of judgment in asking that question. This reporter is lucky Gundy did not go off on him and due to history with this reporter the reporter deserved it. The media was informed prior to the press conference that Gundy would not address questions of players and staff, but he continued to asks the question.
James W Carpenter
Rluke406
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If not then, then when, Robert? No upcoming press availability to my understanding, when is he supposed to ask that question? Because it's a fair one to ask after a season like this.

Gundy doesn't have to answer the question, and I agree that the current staff deserves respect. But a simple "I'm not going to answer that at this time." would have been perfectly respectable to the staff and to the Marshall. Calling him an ass and threatening to revoke his media credentials is entirely unacceptable. Mike gets paid $7 million dollars a year in taxpayer funds, a little accountability is completely justified. Mike was the ******* in that conversation.

If you're too blinded by your roots with Gundy to see that, then maybe my membership is better spent elsewhere.
Joe Khatib
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I notice you were on Orange power, what the heck happened to that site? Were they not paying the bills?
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