Yes, he sort of sounded like a screaming hillbilly. But I'm gonna throw a couple quarters in the snap cup this week for Mike Gundy.
Writing a totally unprovoked, mean-spirited column filled with conjecture about a college student is bush league, and Jenni Carlson deserved to be called on the carpet. Last time I checked, "The Oklahoman" was not a junior high gossip column.
I just hope Carlson gets as much criticism for her ridiculous article as Gundy has gotten for raising his voice (okay, maybe it was a little more than raising his voice) at a press conference. But there's honor in defending your players; I don't see a whole lot of honor in what Carlson wrote about Gundy's player.
As a woman with an interest/background in sports journalism, I'm all the more annoyed and embarrassed that the columnist in question is female. If Jenni Carlson wants to write a gossip column, she should go get a job at the National Enquirer or go post on some Internet fan message boards. Because that's really all the "journalism" in question is good for. Maybe she can join the idiots on the ISU message boads who enjoyed posting online last season that they caught so-and-so being happy, sometimes even in a watering hole, after a loss. Pretty sure all of those people, including Jenni Carlson, have never played college sports in their lives. But hey! They're breathing, so they have the right to judge.
If I had a son, I'll tell you this: I would have no qualms about sending him to play for Mike Gundy. In his own saliva-laden way, Gundy proved on Saturday that protecting and respecting his players is the most important thing to him.
I know pretty much everyone in the whole entire world is trying to make it otherwise, but I still believe in my heart that college sports -- like college -- are about learning, developing as a person, and making mistakes. I am certainly glad that when I was a college student I didn't have someone like Jenni Carlson following me around with a notebook writing down if my parents were giving me chicken or making a notation if I smiled at what she felt was an inappropriate time.
A good kid like Bobby Reid doesn't deserve what Jenni Carlson did to him. His every move doesn't automatically become everyone's business just because he wears on OSU jersey on Saturdays. Have a little respect, and you'll get it in return. I'm sure Oklahoma State University isn't particularly pleased with Mike Gundy's choice of forum or tone of voice in addressing his issue with Jenni Carlson, but I bet this got her attention more than a sternly-worded e-mail. People seem to forget that her column is the print equivalent of a screaming (not to mention, in this case, lying) tirade that is open for everyone in the public to absorb. Mike Gundy just wanted a chance to rebut in an equally public forum. And now that he's all over YouTube, I think he got his wish.
That's called being a player-focused coach. And even if it's not so elegant, it's still something to admire.
