Gundy suggests anthem protesters 'grab a gun and go stand guard'

When Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy held his postgame press conference Saturday, he took the usual questions about the win over Pitt and the upcoming game against Baylor, but he also talked politics.

Gundy, who grew up near Tinker Air Force Base, was asked about his decision to jog across the field in the third quarter to shake the hands of servicemen who were being honored, a new promotion at Cowboys home games.

“A tight game can't be any comparison to what they went through,” said Gundy. “Truthfully, I'm a full-blood American. Those guys, for what they do for our country, are you kidding me? Basically for us to say, ‘Thanks for your service.'''

In recent weeks, there's been a lot of discussion whether Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit, and then kneel, during the American national anthem is an act of patriotism, and Gundy weighed in on the topic.

“There's a lot of people making other decisions on how they feel about patriotism. So I have a right to show how I feel. And I think it's important. Just my opinion.”

Gundy then talked about the recent protests by other athletes in the wake of Kaepernick's stance.

“Grab a gun and go stand guard if you want to say something about it. That's just the way I feel. I have all the respect in the world for the people who are going to go fight for our country, because I'm not tough enough to do it.”