Oklahoma wide receivers coach Cale Gundy steps down

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver coach Cale Gundy has stepped down from his position, he announced via Twitter late Sunday night. After playing quarterback for the program in the early 1990s, he had spent over two decades working in Norman as an assistant coach.

Gundy released a statement on the incident, explaining exactly what happened. He said his resignation stems from a moment between him and a player during a meeting. After saying “one particular word,” Gundy was “horrified” with himself.

“I owe it to Sooner Nation to be transparent about what led to my decision,” Gundy began. “Last week, during a film session, I instructed my players to take notes. I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen.

“The words displayed had nothing to do with football. One particular word that I should never — under any circumstance — have uttered was displayed on the screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified.”

More on Cale Gundy at Oklahoma

Gundy was the quarterback over four seasons, leading the Sooners to two bowl victories. He immediately went into coaching, serving as a graduate assistant for Oklahoma during the 1994 season. Four seasons at UAB beginning in 1995 interrupted his time in Norman, where Gundy then never left the program again.

His role ranged from running back coach to offensive coordinator under Lincoln Riley. Gundy also worked with Bob Stoops and had just been getting underway with Brent Venables.

Brent Venables releases statement, names interim

Venables released a statement on the situation shortly after the announcement, saying he is “thankful” for the work Gundy has put into the Oklahoma program over the years. However, with the program he is trying to build, everybody must be held accountable for their actions.

“It’s with sadness that I accept Cale Gundy’s resignation,” Venables said. “He’s dedicated more than half of his life to Oklahoma Football and served our program and university well. We’re thankful for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he’s placed the program and welfare of our student-athletes first. In coaching and life, we’re all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes.

“The cultures we’re building in our program is based on mutual respect. Our staff is here to develop successful student-athletes, but also young men of character. As the leaders of this program, it’s essential that we hold ourselves to the highest standards as we model for our players the type of men we want them to become.”

Venables has named L’Damian Washington, who had been serving as an offensive analyst, as the interim wide receivers coach.