Mike Gundy’s Contract Shortened, Will Take $1M Paycut After Internal Probe

After an internal investigation conducted by OSU athletic director Mike Holder and OSU deputy athletic director Chad Weiberg that spanned several weeks, Oklahoma State determined that Mike Gundy “needs to invest more time” in building relationships with his players.

The results were announced Thursday that provided a clear path for Gundy to gain back trust and respect from his athletic department and from his players, but on Friday it was announced that Gundy will take a substantial hit financially, too. Mike Holder confirmed Friday in a news conference with reporters that Gundy’s five-year rollover contract was shortened to a four-year contract, and that Gundy is taking a $1 million (voluntary) paycut. Gundy was set to make $5.2 million in 2020.

Mike Holder said Gundy's contract adjustment is true and that it has nothing to do with the pandemic. Said the changes were offered up by Gundy. Said he took a $1-million pay decrease.

— Marshall Scott (@Marshall_Once) July 3, 2020

Holder later clarified that Gundy’s contract is still a rollover but that several elements of the contract have been tweaked. In addition to his paycut and shortened rollover from five years to four years, Gundy’s buyout has been reduced, among other amendments.

• Paycut of $1 million
• Rollover length: From 5 years to 4 years
• Buyout (what OSU pays for firing him): From 75 percent of remaining contract to 50 percent
• Force majeure clause added

The internal probe was conducted shortly after Chuba Hubbard and other players threatened to sit out after a photo of Gundy wearing a One America News Network (OAN) shirt during a fishing outing with his sons several weeks ago emerged. Since then, it has crystalized that Hubbard and others’ actions were not about the shirt but about a broader call for change. As Kyle Porter reported out two weeks ago, sources inside the program painted a picture not of abuse but of distance and unavailability.

“This isn’t about a T-shirt,” Holder said Friday. “This was about a lot of different things.”

Gundy has been apologetic about the entire situation and recently called himself a “dumbass” for wearing the shirt that started all of this. The shirt wasn’t in itself problematic, but what the shirt stood for clearly struck a chord among players.

“I didn’t know some of the stances they [OAN] had taken,” Gundy told ESPN+ last month, referencing One America News Network. “I didn’t know that. But then you look at it and say, ‘OK, I was a dumbass.’ I put the shirt on, not knowing enough about the shirt.

“I understood exactly why the players got frustrated when they found that out,” Gundy continued. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know until the next day. Well, I knew that night, but I didn’t confirm it until I did a little research, and I was like, ‘What a dumbass.’ So, that was my fault.”

Holder said on Friday that Gundy has been “humble, remorseful and committed to change” and praised his players for having the courage to take a stand where they felt like they needed to take a stand.