It hasn’t been a great 48 hours for Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy.
But a lot of that is self-induced. In attempting to defend star running back Ollie Gordon’s DUI arrest, Gundy appeared to confess to driving under the influence himself thousands of times. While X’s (formerly Twitter) AI inaccurately attributed a specific quote to him, his actual remarks were concerning enough. And they have already drawn criticism from ESPN Radio’s Harry Douglas and others.
Another critic there is David Samson, the former Miami Marlins president, who’s now with Dan Le Batard’s Meadowlark Media. It didn’t take long for Samson, formerly in a position of authority, to take to social media and claim that he would’ve fired Gundy on the spot.
I would fire him and it wouldn’t even make my top 5. Disgraceful. https://t.co/hvOTQY90oa
— David P. Samson (@DavidPSamson) July 10, 2024
It’s crucial to remember the dangers of driving under the influence. In 2016, a tragic boating accident claimed the life of Miami Marlins star pitcher José Fernández while Samson served as the team president. So, it’s understandable why this is a no-tolerance issue for Samson, especially when considering the devastating consequences of operating a vehicle under the influence in any form.
And given the context, Gundy’s comments attempting to downplay the seriousness of DUI are particularly concerning. That’s why Samson continued to pile on during Wednesday’s edition of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
“This is so irresponsible that you cannot and should not be able to come back from that by claiming you were talking about something else,” Samson said, as transcribed by Mediaite, “Which is what everyone does when they’re caught. ‘No, no, you misunderstood me,’ or, ‘No, no, I’m a sex addict,’ or, ‘No, no, I need rehab for whatever when I get caught.’ This is him making it OK.
“He is making the behavior OK, but it’s just not OK. Talk to Khyree Jackson’s family. It’s just not OK.”
Samson, of course, is referencing the recent tragedy involving Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson. Jackson died in a car accident early Saturday morning, along with two other former high school teammates. The driver of the other car is suspected to have been operating the vehicle under the influence.
“If Ollie Gordon were a worse player, I don’t think Mike Gundy survives it,” Samson said.
As Dominique Foxwroth pointed out, Gordon likely wouldn’t have survived the incident if he had been a worse player.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.