The Curious Case of Coach Gundy and the Press

It's time to have a talk.

Mike Gundy has been with Oklahoma State since arriving on campus as a student to come play football for the Cowboys. He quarterbacked the Pokes, then went on to become an assistant and eventually head coach. It was like a match made in orange heaven.  It was described as Gundy's "Yankees Job."

It's been no secret that HCMG has not been so keen on dealing with the media. Even looking past his well-documented tirade of "I'm a man! I'm 40!", which fans and Gundy himself have embraced, there have been many quirky moments with the press. I've been privy to many of these moments, and most of the time, it's quite entertaining.

Sure, there are moments when Gundy goes full badger. The no talking about injuries,  the not naming a starting quarterback,  the whole giving an answer not pertaining to the question,  it's all pretty comical.  Not in a ha-ha funny way, but more like a "Are you kidding me? LOL That happened." kind of way.

But what happened in Tuesday's presser was BEYOND full badger. He was noncommittal about nearly every answer, what answers he did give were short and awkward, and he even answered texts during the process. It was a very uncomfortable situation for people gathered in the room.

Here's the thing: I know Gundy doesn't enjoy dealing with the press. That is all fine and dandy, after all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And I figure Mike would much prefer to just do his job instead of do the extra curriculars. But press conferences, asking questions, reporting on the team, its players and the events that happen, that's the media's job.

It is the job (I almost said duty, but that's a little cliché) of the press to get this information to the public. Fans and alumni absolutely enjoy hearing and reading about the team they support and love and the people that make the magic on Saturdays possible. But it even goes deeper than that. There are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grannies,  granddads, cousins,  friends, acquaintances and even that sweet old lady that sits in the front row in church that always wants to give a hug and compliment to every soul she sees that get the biggest thrill over simply seeing that name in the paper, watching that highlight reel where the kid gets five seconds of screentime, or simply hearing an honorable mention during a press conference (the kid's name, not jersey number or general description).

In a recent Buy or Sell, Cowboys fans voiced their ever-rising opinions on this matter. Many of these vocalizations started to arise after it was announced that Gundy was a candidate for the Florida job. Although it is now evident that Mike is not heading to the swamp, Poke people aren't ceasing the tired talk. The results of our poll here at CRFF showed that 56 percent of fans have said they are growing increasingly tired of Gundy's games.

Again, I can completely understand Gundy not enjoying having to deal with the media. But denying said media the chance to do its job of spreading the news of your program and its players to all reaches of the public is borderline selfish.  Not everyone involved in covering this great university gets the special access that some are privileged to, so there is an importance to these press conferences. And don't think possible recruits aren't paying attention. How are they supposed to gain an insight to the program if there is none given?

Questions need to be asked, and answers deserve to be given.