Gundy Has Always Treated Each Disciplinary Situation Different and Individually

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State world was shocked Monday evening by the news of the arrest of Ollie Gordon II early Sunday morning. 

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Ollie Gordon II in the Tax-Act Texas Bowl. 

Gordon II was pulled over in Cleveland County approximately 2:30 a.m. on suspicion of driving under the influence. Following the stop, Gordon was taken into custody shortly before 3 a.m. and according to the affidavit, was charged with DUI under 21, transport of open container of alcohol, failure to maintain lane of traffic and speeding 15-20 MPH over the limit. He did perform the state test and blew a .11 and .10 BrAC. 

While there have most certainly been instances over the years under head coach Mike Gundy that have been dealt with internally and out of the public eye, Gordon’s is on public record and as such, his discipline will be of public record as well. More than likely, so will his punishment from his head coach.

Since Gundy took over the program prior to the 2005 season there have been several players disciplined for various legal actions, of which we’ll be discussing only of few of the prominent instances in this article. Gundy permanently suspended 11 players from the program that were recruits from the Les Miles’ era that Gundy didn’t feel would help in establishing the culture he wanted in the program. Also, early on Gundy suspended linebacker Jeremy Nethon in 2005.

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Nethon makes a tackle in the Independence Bowl vs. Alabama.

Nethon might not be a name newer fans know, but this happened in Gundy’s first year as head coach. It was reported Nethon was dismissed from the team due to academic reasons, but was later given a second chance. The important thing to realize about the second chance is it came as a redshirt season, but one in which Gundy stripped Nethon’s scholarship that season, something that most players and parents feel and understand pretty quick. Following his suspension, Nethon came back and was a major contributor as he recorded 96 total tackles over two seasons, including 11 in the 2006 Independence Bowl win over Alabama, a performance which earned him defensive MVP honors.

Today Nethon and his wife, Hannah, have three children and he is a successful high school coach in the Tulsa-area. 

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Tyreek Hill on the Bedlam punt return.

Future Super Bowl champion Tyreek Hill was dismissed from the team less than a week after his Bedlam heroics in 2014. Hill was arrested and charged following punching and strangling his pregnant girlfriend. Gundy had warned Hill about not getting in a physical confrontation with the girl. Gundy’s words were, “run the other way.” He told Hill he could not have a player that put his hands on a woman in a threatening manner. Less than a year later, Hill pleaded guilty in the Payne County Courthouse to domestic assault and battery by strangulation.

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Blatnick’s fumble return vs. Oklahoma.

Jamie Blatnick wasn’t dismissed following his misdemeanor assault and battery for striking a teammate, Steve Denning, in the face with a beer bottle, nor was Bo Bowling following an arrest on misdemeanor drug charges. However, Blatnick spent nearly an entire summer and the entire fall camp, climbing the height of the Empire State Building on a StairMaster. He did it in the dress of the day including full pads when the team was padded up. And this didn’t take place in the cool shade of the Sherman Smith Indoor, it was in the hot sun of the outdoor practice facilities. 

 Blatnick’s punishment served him well as he went on to become an All-Big 12 defensive end during the Cowboys’ 2011 Big 12 Championship run. He’s now the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Middle Tennessee State and will most likely be utilizing a StairMaster. 

As for Bowling, he was suspended for the entirety of the 2009 season and returned to the team as a non-scholarship player. Bowling was also a success story as he came back and played well and went on to play in Canada before an injury ended his football career.

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Blackmon returned in 2023 to be inducted in the Oklahoma State Athletics Hall of Honor.

Justin Blackmon was suspended one game back in 2010 following his arrest on a misdemeanor DUI charge. Gundy announced the suspension during his weekly news conference and Blackmon addressed reporters later. "I'm embarrassed to be in this position," Blackmon said. "I'm truly sorry to my family, to my friends and to Oklahoma State all together. I look forward to redeeming myself and proving to everybody that this isn't who I am. I'm not this guy. I'm humbled by this experience, and I will grow from it. I did it and I should be punished for it. I'm just going to take my punishment like I should."

This is a similar situation to Ollie Gordon as Blackmon was also underaged at 20, ironically enough on I-35 returning with teammates from a Dallas Cowboys Monday Night Football Game. Blackmon was driving 92 MPH in a 60 MPH zone and failed the field sobriety test. 

Along with the one game suspension, Blackmon came back and finished a season that saw his career continue toward winning the Biletnikoff Award and earning All-American honors two years in a row. Blackmon was a first-round NFL Draft choice but did not stay in the league long at his own doing.

It’s certainly possible you could see similar punishment for Gordon. But that decision will come in the next month ahead of the 2024 season. The bottom line is, more times than not, Gundy has done what has been perceived to be the right thing for the program and often the right thing for the player’s future, on-and-off the field.