This ridiculous detail makes Mike Gundy’s t-shirt scandal look even worse

Those Mike Gundy’s OAN t-shirt on free speech grounds is in for a rude awakening.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy effectively told Clemson’s Dabo Swinney to hold his beer this week.

As the backlash against Swinney’s “Football Matters” t-shirt begins to subside in earnest, the Cowboys boss is suddenly leading recipient of shirt-related college football ire thanks to a recent outfit choice endorsing (OAN) One America News Network, a far-right, pro-Trump cable outlet known for pushing conspiracy theories, among other questionable journalistic practices.

Facing a potential revolt among his players, Gundy has received notable support on social media from those pointing to his inalienable right to free speech. Unfortunately, one of Gundy’s own past decisions removes any and all legs to stand on here.

Remember — Mike Gundy once fired a contractor working on his house because he saw him wearing an Oklahoma Sooners shirt

To be clear, the First Amendment doesn’t protect you from being fired from a contracting job even if you’re convinced it was due to wearing a shirt the client doesn’t like — good luck proving that in court! — nor does it protect a college football coach from a wave of players insistent on essentially going on strike. In that regard, making this a free speech issue doesn’t entirely make sense.

Just like the rest of us, Gundy is free to make his own choices, but he has to be prepared to accept the consequences, including Chuba Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher in 2019 he wants nothing to do with the program until further notice.

Nobody is required to agree or disagree with Gundy. Coaches and players don’t have to agree on every last political and social issue in order to coexist. But in such fraught, emotionally-charged times in our country with respect to racism and police brutality, Gundy simply cannot be shocked that his plain support for a controversial far-right media outlet would rub any number of his players the wrong way.

That doesn’t mean he’s automatically “canceled.” It doesn’t mean he’s past redemption.

It just means the offseason got a heck of a lot more difficult out in Stillwater.

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