Skip to content

OSU's Gundy dismisses COVID-19 concerns: 'Need to bring our players back'

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy caused a stir Tuesday by saying he intends to bring members of the program to the team's facility in May despite the coronavirus pandemic.

"In my opinion, we need to bring our players back," Gundy said on a teleconference call with local reporters, according to Des Bieler of the Washington Post. "They are 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 years old and they are healthy and they have the ability to fight this virus off. If that is true, then we sequester them and continue, because we need to run money through the state of Oklahoma."

Gundy said much of Oklahoma relies on revenue generated by college football and claimed the OSU program brings in about $36 million.

"When you're talking about continuing the economy in this state, if you have to play - plus, you need to play anyway," he continued. "Everybody needs to see football. Even if you just watch it on TV, it's going to make people feel better."

As of Tuesday, there have been more than 370,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, causing more than 12,000 deaths. Over 1,300 cases have been reported in the state of Oklahoma.

In response, the Big 12 Conference has banned all in-person activities until May 31 or "until additional guidance is provided."

Additionally, Oklahoma State has suspended in-person classes through the spring semester. The school responded to Gundy's comments with a statement later on Tuesday, saying the administration won't compromise the health of its student body and staff.

"Everyone wants to return to some degree of normalcy as soon as possible," read OSU's statement obtained by Sports Illustrated. "As for Oklahoma State University, we will adhere to the advice of public health experts who are making informed decisions in the best interest of the citizens of our nation and state based on sound scientific data."

"We will also abide by the federal and state mandates as well as Big 12 guidelines. We will not compromise the health and well-being of our campus community. This virus is deadly and we will do our part at Oklahoma State to help blunt the spread."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox