OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard and coach Mike Gundy appear to have ironed out their differences for now.
Hubbard suggested Monday he may boycott the program after Gundy was photographed wearing a T-shirt promoting the One America News Network, a far-right news channel that has been praised by President Donald Trump.
Gundy is seen in a photograph on Twitter wearing the shirt with the letters OAN. In a tweet responding to the photo, Hubbard said: “I will not stand for this. This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it’s unacceptable. I will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE.”
Hubbard gained support from past and present Oklahoma State players. The school’s president and athletic director issued statements supporting black athletes, condemning insensitive behavior and showing concern about the responses to the tweet without directly calling out Gundy.
Hubbard, who is black, has been more active on social media since George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Hubbard has been supportive of protests that erupted around the world after Floyd’s death.
Gundy and Hubbard later appeared together on a short video on Twitter. Gundy said he met with the team and will make adjustments.
“In light of today’s Tweet, with the T-shirt I was wearing, I met with some players and realized it’s a very sensitive issue with what’s going on in today’s society,” he said. “So we had a great meeting and (I was) made aware of some things some players feel like that can make our organization and our culture even better than it is here at Oklahoma State. I’m looking forward to making some changes, and it starts at the top with me, and we’ve got good days ahead.”
Hubbard apologized for using social media to air his concern instead of going directly to Gundy.
“I’ll start off by first saying I went about it the wrong way by Tweeting,” Hubbard said. “I’m not somebody that has to Tweet something to make change. I should have went to him as a man. I’m more about action. So that was bad on my part. But from now on, we’re going to focus more on bringing change, and that’s the most important thing.”
The tweet revealed issues that were bubbling beneath the surface. Current linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga declared “I stand with him!” and former Cowboys running back Justice Hill, now with the Baltimore Ravens, tweeted: “OSU Athletics and University need major change. 100% support brotha.”
Hubbard’s comments sent ripples all the way to the top of the university.
“I hear and respect the concerns expressed by our Black student-athletes,” Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis said in a statement. “This is a time for unity of purpose to confront racial inequities and injustice. We will not tolerate insensitive behavior by anyone at Oklahoma State.”
The discussion also got Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder’s attention.
“This afternoon has been very disturbing,” Holder said in a statement. “The tweets from the current and former players are of grave concern.”
OAN commentator Liz Wheeler in the past has described the Black Lives Matter movement as a “farce” that speaks for “oppression” and “revenge.”
Gundy spoke about his fondness for OAN during a conference call with reporters in April that mostly focused on the coronavirus pandemic.
