OPINION Like It Is

WALLY HALL: Pay cut an eye-opener of sorts for Gundy

Oklahoma State Athletic Director Mike Holder said last week that after a fairly lengthy internal review head football coach Mike Gundy had not had very good relationships with his players, but the school stands behind him.

It wasn't racial, he said, but a lack of personal relationships.

This latest look at Gundy came after he had his picture taken wearing an One America News Network T-shirt and that upset several football players.

Holder said the situation is fixable, and apparently it starts with a $1 million cut in pay for Gundy.

In the middle of the pandemic, Gundy said he thought his football players would be better off on campus that at home with their parents.

That set off a storm of protests, too.

Gundy has won a lot of football games for the Cowboys, and he'a former OSU player, but the guess here is the cut in pay got his attention more than anything.

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A couple of weeks ago, Vanderbilt's long-time main sports information director Larry Leathers announced that he was leaving the school.

This week, Vanderbilt announced by email to its employees that the athletics communications department was being absorbed by the university and key positions were being eliminated.

At a time when a school needs to be open and transparent with the media so people will know how it is dealing with the pandemic, Vandy cuts a vital part of its department.

Every school in America is concerned about what will happen if there is not a football season and millions of dollars are lost, but this was not the way to save money.

Besides, Vanderbilt is a very wealthy institution because of endowments.

The wealth of the school is one of the reasons the SEC would ever consider eliminating the 'Dores.

At least Leathers was able to get a buy-out, but now one of the great academic universities in the country has opted to do away with an arm of athletics that helped its fan base stay informed.

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The Ivy League announced Wednesday that it is postponing playing all sports this fall because of covid-19.

Meanwhile, Fordham has cancelled its Sept. 12 football game with Hawaii because of the virus.

The Power 5 commissioners have tentatively said the decision about this football season will be made at the end of July.

A recent increase in virus cases nationally has caused even more concern.

The best guess here is there will be a college football season, but it won't be a 12-game schedule beginning the first week of September.

Some money is better than no money.

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Many colleges have allowed athletes back on campus for voluntary workouts but did not test the athletes for the coronavirus unless they showed symptoms.

The cost of the virus test is approximately $100, and when you have hundreds of athletes that adds up pretty fast.

Coastal Carolina may have set the bar though for being able to test and not spend a small fortune.

Athletic Director Matt Hogue approached a local health care company, a sponsor of the school's athletics, and it has agreed to test the athletes for free.

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Thoughts and prayers go out to Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian who had to have a heart procedure last week.

There was apparently no indication that stress caused the situation.

During a routine physical, an anomaly was found and the procedure was done in Birmingham last week. The former USC head coach is back home in Tuscaloosa and is expected to make a full recovery.

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