Oklahoma wide receivers coach Cale Gundy resigned on Sunday after it was revealed that he used inappropriate language in a film study with several Sooners players. Gundy addressed the matter in a lengthy statement posted to his Twitter account.
"Today, with great anguish, I announce my resignation. I apologize to those who are disappointed by this news," he wrote. "I owe it to Sooner Nation to be transparent about what led to this decision: Last week, during a film session, I instructed my players to take notes. I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen. The words displayed had nothing to do with football. On particular word that I should never—under any circumstance—have uttered was displayed on that screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified."
Oklahoma first-year coach Brent Venables commented on the specifics surrounding Gundy's resignation in a statement released by the university on Monday.
"Coach Gundy resigned from the program because he knows what he did was wrong," Venables said. "He chose to read aloud to his players, not once but multiple times, a racially charged word that is objectionable to everyone, and does not reflect the attitude and values of our university or our football program. This is not acceptable. Period. Coach Gundy did the right thing in resigning."
Gundy, who had been on the Sooners staff since 1999 when Bob Stoops took over the program, continued his statement by offering even more specifics of the incident.
"I want to be very clear: the words I read aloud from that screen were not my words," he wrote. "What I said was not malicious; it wasn't even intentional. Still, I am mature enough to know that the word I said was shameful and hurtful, no matter my intentions. The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so. In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for my mistake. I apologize."
Venables shed light on the factors that led to the first-year coach of the Sooners accepting Gundy's resignation.
"[Gundy] has dedicated more than half his life to Oklahoma Football and has served our program and university well. We're thankful for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he's placed the program and the welfare of our student-athletes first," Venables wrote. "In coaching and in life, we're all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes. The culture we're building in our program is based on mutual respect. Our staff is here to develop successful student-athletes, but also young men of character. As the leaders of this program, it's essential that we hold ourselves to the highest standards as we model for our players the type of men we want them to become."
Offensive analyst L'Damian Washington will take over Gundy's on-field responsibilities on an interim basis.
Gundy played quarterback at Oklahoma from 1990-93, where he threw for 6,142 yards, 35 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma in 1994. He spent four years at UAB from 1995-98 before joining Stoops in Oklahoma.
