Update >> In a chat with ESPN, Gundy shares:
"He's going to play. I'm going to do what we think is best for Oklahoma State football. And I think it's best for Ollie to play."
"If there's any punishment, it's making him carry the ball 50 times in the first game."
Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon was the leading rusher in all of college football last season, rushing for 1,732 yards over fourteen games and he ranked second nationally with 21 rushing touchdowns.
One of the top returning players in college football, Gordon was arrested recently for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Luckily, no one was hurt and Gordon will be able to learn from the experience.
To complicate things a bit, Gordon was set to represent the Cowboys alongside Gundy during Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium.
So Mike Gundy faced a crossroads with an important decision. As the leader of the program, Gundy could have taken the opportunity to represent the program away after the arrest, but instead he's opting for a different approach.
Asked about the situation earlier this morning, Gundy shared that he decided Ollie will not only still represent the program at media days, but that he also won't face a suspension.
Why the slap on the wrist instead of a suspension? Gundy pointed to the current landscape of college football in his explanation outlined in The Oklahoman.
“Because of collectives, these guys that are playing college football are employees, whether you like it or not. There’s large sums of money involved. That’s the way it’s gonna be going forward."
Instead of a suspension, Gundy is taking a "face the music" approach in an attempt to teach a life lesson.
“I made a decision. I felt like he really understood how serious this was. Just like bringing him out here, he needed to come out here and face the music. There’s no reason to put him in hiding.”
Gundy's right. He could have left Ollie at home to think about his decisions, but he decided to get him in front of the cameras and have him answer for the poor choices. Confront the decision instead of hiding from it.
There will be plenty of people that criticize Gundy's approach, but with NIL a reality for guys like Ollie, he's right in that players are now employees and therefore how they are held accountable by coaches across the landscape of college football might start to shift.
...and we shouldn't be surprised when it does.