Stoops still in Gundy's corner
Published: 9/25/2007 4:35 PM
Last Modified: 9/25/2007 4:35 PM
Without referring specifically to Mike Gundy's meltdown, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops defended his Bedlam peer for a second straight day today at his weekly press conference.
"It's fair to say, I think, we all have to realize that regardless of how you want to make these guys NFL or professional athletes, they are not," Stoops said. "Ninety-nine percent of them are never going to get on an NFL field. Keep that in mind always."
A very fair point, although I would say in 99 percent of the time, journalists who cover college athletes do keep that in mind. I'll give you an example...
OU safety Nic Harris was beaten for the game-winning touchdown at Oregon last year. To his credit, he stopped on his way to the bus afterward and faced a crowd of reporters seeking answers to what had happened. He was disconsolate, however, and once the crowd realized that fact, it backed off en masse.
The question was asked and answered, and it wasn't worth pressing the issue against a 19-year-old clearly affected by what had happened. I dare say Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams, or any other NFL safety, wouldn't have been provided that escape route.
But back to Stoops' comments today...
"I just think, too, we're scrutinized and ridiculed or whatever continuously," he said, "which is fine. That's what happens. But I find it odd that whenever we have an opinion on what you guys (the media) do, it's unacceptable. (Coaches) can't have an opinion on what your remarks are... I don't know why that would be. We're entitled to our opinions as well."
Another fair point, but worth another counterpoint.
Fact is, coaches do react to media criticism. They just don't typically do it verbally. Their response is to close practice or access, or limit their own answers to questions they don't perceive as fair. It's the way the cat-and-mouse game has always been played, right or wrong.
What Gundy did Saturday was change the rules, in a potentially dramatic fashion. Coaches may have wanted to unleash the bomb Gundy dropped for a long time, feeling the media has had it coming for reasons Stoops articulated Tuesday.
It will be interesting to see if this becomes a pattern. And if the media responds in kind, either around this state or any other.
For the sake of both parties' ability to salvage what's left of what used to be an amiable relationship, I hope the storm passes without further damage.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
