Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy made a public apology Saturday for his assertion during a teleconference last week that he expected his players and coaching staff to be able to return to their facilities on May 1 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I have been made aware that comments from my press conference have offended some,” Gundy said in a prepared statement. “It was never my intention to offend anyone and I apologize. My first priority is and will always be the student-athletes and doing what is best for the program and the university.”
There was a public backlash after Gundy said April 8 that he was confident tests would be available for players and staff to begin training again by the beginning of next month.
Gundy’s statements from Wednesday’s press conference were quickly disputed hours later by the university and by athletic director Mike Holder, who said, “May 1 seems a little ambitious.”
“We will adhere to the advice of public health experts who are making informed decisions in the best interest of the citizens of our nation and state based on sound scientific data,” the university statement said. “We will also abide by the federal and state mandates as well as Big 12 guidelines. We will not compromise the health and well-being of our campus community. This virus is deadly and we will do our part at Oklahoma State to help blunt the spread.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended against gatherings of 50 or more people through May 11 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which as of Saturday had killed more than 20,000 people in the United States. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has banned gatherings of more than 10 people through April 30 and has urged people under 65 to stay at home.
Gundy has praised the first responders, nurses and doctors throughout the state for their response against the pandemic, but he has also been outspoken by what he has termed negative coverage of the COVID-19 by the mainstream media.
“I’m not taking away from the danger of people getting sick,” Gundy said during his Wednesday teleconference. “You have the virus, stay healthy, try to do what we can to help people that are sick. And we’re losing lives, which is just terrible.
“The second part of it is that we still have to schedule and continue to move forward as life goes on and help those people.”
Gundy said he expected, if his May 1 plan were put in place, that any person who tested positive for the coronavirus would self-quarantine and get medical treatment. Gundy compared that protocol to a player or a member of his staff contracting the flu during the regular season. Older people who work in the football building and could be susceptible to the virus would not be allowed to return until declared healthy.
The NCAA has canceled all spring sports and has not made a decision on a date when players can return to their schools to begin practice for the upcoming football season.