I rarely pay attention to the prattlings of Oklahoma’s college football coaches who are being paid ungodly amounts of money to put teams on the field to entertain us every fall.But every once in a while they’re impossible to ignore.The latest example was the recent hateful, offensive and frankly ignorant comments made earlier this month by Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy.Gundy’s team has put on a subpar performance this year. They have a 3-7 record, placing them in the bottom of the Big 12 Conference.Here’s what Gundy said when responding to a media question about fan criticism about his team’s dismal season: “In most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinions are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job, but they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then in the end, when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”The ensuing dust up gave the impression that Gundy merely received a gentle slap on the wrist for an egregious lack of empathy and an elitist attitude toward what is probably a large percentage of Oklahomans. Because despite their best intentions and working full-time jobs, they are struggling to make ends meet.Gundy later issued what seemed to be a forced, halfhearted apology to those he offended by issuing a written statement. OSU President Kayse Shrum issued her own. She didn’t apologize exactly for what she deemed “offensive remarks,” but noted that Gundy had apologized and that his comment didn’t reflect the position of the university, and that she’s grateful for the school’s fans and donors.But the arrogance and ignorance of the challenges faced by lower-and-middle income Oklahomans is astounding, particularly coming from someone who serves as the face of a public institution that relies on the largess of Oklahoma taxpayers and their Legislature.Many of those same people Gundy thumbed his nose at have helped make him obscenely rich.Last season, Gundy was expected to earn $7.625 million. At the time, he was the 14th highest paid coach among Division 1 schools.If he were to work the standard 40 hour, 52 weeks a year, Gundy essentially made $3,665 an hour.Most ...
