Oklahoma State is in, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel describes it, a “standoff” with head coach Mike Gundy regarding his future in Stillwater. The Cowboys’ brain trust isn’t interested in seeing his contract through as is and will seek a way to fire him for cause if Gundy doesn’t agree to an amended deal, per Thamel.
Oklahoma State is aiming to withhold $25 million, according to Thamel, while allegedly offering him a discounted rate. As On3’s Andy Staples points out, the Cowboys’ boosters and donors are risking precarious long-term repercussions.
“‘Let us out of the terrible contract we originally agreed to so you can take a crappier contract or we’ll fire you for cause’ is a hell of a negotiating ploy that certainly won’t blow up spectacularly in a school’s face,” Staples tweeted.
Having been left behind by in-state rival Oklahoma in the Big 12, the Cowboys aren’t in a place to make these kinds of demands. The conference has by and large been left behind in the NIL arms race and has been badly shafted in the College Football Playoff rankings week after week. The Big 12 is quickly losing clout as the sport continues to favor the Big Ten and SEC.
That didn’t stop Oklahoma State from making headlines for all the wrong reasons Friday. Their tactics create Gundy as a good guy, not the failing coach they’re looking to remove or pay less. This was a coach who had reporters calling for his job a month ago after Gundy launched a tirade bashing his critics for being “weak” and not paying their bills.
It’s unclear who’d be able to come in and make Oklahoma State more than what Gundy has made it. Gundy has been head coach since 2005. That was centuries ago in terms of college football, and it’s unclear whether they have better options in mind.
