Football coach Mike Gundy apologises for ‘tone deaf’ coronavirus comments

American football coach Mike Gundy has apologised for offending people with some wild comments about the coronavirus pandemic.

Oklahoma State college football coach Mike Gundy apologised on the weekend for comments he made recently about the coronavirus pandemic.

Gundy spoke with the media during a teleconference call last week and said he hoped to have the team return to its facilities on May 1, a proposed timetable that would defy federal social-distancing guidelines and was quickly disputed by his university.

Gundy said football programs should get back to normal because they “need to run money through the state of Oklahoma” and also said young, fit players should be allowed to train together because they’d be able to fight the virus off.

The coach also compared the virus to the regular flu and said getting a “herd of healthy people” outside would help combat COVID-19.

His comments were widely criticised in the media. For The Win’s Michelle Martinelli called them “tone deaf and oblivious”, while Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports slammed Gundy’s “ignorance”.

“He was negligent to health concerns, ignorant of how the notion of sequestering his players would be received and set a May 1 return timetable for football employees that strains credulity,” Thamel wrote.

In a statement on the weekend, Gundy apologised, saying: “I have been made aware that comments from my press conference have offended some. It was never my intention to offend anyone and I apologise.

“My first priority is and will always be the student-athletes and doing what is best for the program and the university.”

Following Gundy’s comments, Oklahoma State issued a statement saying, essentially, that the decision about when to bring the football team back together wouldn’t be up to the coach.

“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,” the university statement said.

“We will also abide by the federal and state mandates as well as Big 12 guidelines. We will not compromise the health and wellbeing of our campus community.

“This virus is deadly and we will do our part at Oklahoma State to help blunt the spread.”

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Mike Gundy has a habit of polarising people.

Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder also declined to back Gundy’s timeline, saying in a statement: “May 1 seems a little ambitious.”

The university has cancelled in-person classes this semester and moved its May graduation ceremonies to December.

America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended against gatherings of 50 or more people until at least May 11 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 22,000 people in the United States.

Gundy, who has been outspoken about his right-wing politics, also said in a conference call with reporters that the media has been too negative in its coverage of what he called the “Chinese virus”.

Most Americans are living under stay-at-home orders, many of which extend past May 1, although Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has only urged people under 65 to stay home while banning gatherings of more than 10 people through until April 30.

Gundy said he wasn’t trying to be insensitive to those who are sick, but he believes things need to get back to normal sooner rather than later.

Oklahoma State is scheduled to begin its season on September 3, hosting Oregon State.

“It might get backed up two weeks,” Gundy said. “I don’t know, I can’t make that call.”

Gundy said he hopes there will be enough tests available in a few weeks that he could get his assistant coaches and support personnel tested for the virus, followed by the players, so his program can get back to business.

The NCAA, which oversees college sport in America, has cancelled all spring sports, and there is no date in place for college teams to return to practice.

Gundy said if his target date doesn’t work, he’d be willing to push things back — but not too far.