College football's reigning rushing king called for changes in Oklahoma State's football program, and according to head coach Mike Gundy, he'll get them.
Running back Chuba Hubbard first took to Twitter on Monday to take serious exception to a T-shirt worn by Gundy, and wrote that he "will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE."
Hubbard's dispatch included a tweet that shows Gundy on a fishing trip wearing an OAN T-shirt -- OAN, or One America News Network, is known as a far-right news outlet. Within hours of Hubbard calling Gundy's T-shirt "completely insensitive" and "unacceptable," Gundy and Hubbard appeared together in a brief video in which Gundy said he met with players following Hubbard's tweet, and is "looking forward to making some changes, and it starts at the top with me."
In the same video, Hubbard expressed regret for airing his grievance publicly rather than first taking it to Gundy in private. Soon after posting that video, Hubbard wrote in a tweet "No don't get it twisted. Foot still on the gas. Results are coming. It's not over." He further explained his position on Tuesday in a note shared on social media. Gundy apologized to current and former players, as well as their families, "for the pain and discomfort that has been caused over the past two days" via a video posted on Twitter later on Tuesday.
Following Hubbard's initial reaction to Gundy's T-shirt, several current and former OSU players tweeted support for his stance, including offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, and former OSU RB Justice Hill, now of the Baltimore Ravens. Jenkins posted another tweet later on Monday, saying, in part, OSU players "opened a gateway to create some serious CHANGE around Oklahoma State."
Earlier in the day, Oklahoma State University president Burns Hargis tweeted the following statement in the wake of Hubbard's initial tweet:
"I hear and respect the concerns expressed by our Black student-athletes. This is a time for unity of purpose to confront racial inequities and injustice. We will not tolerate insensitive behavior by anyone at Oklahoma State."
Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder also issued a statement after Hubbard's initial tweet, saying "This afternoon has been very disturbing. The tweets from the current and former players are of grave concern."
Hubbard, a native Canadian who is set to be a redshirt junior this fall, has established himself as a 2020 Heisman Trophy candidate. He rushed for 2,094 yards to lead all FBS rushers in 2019, and scored 21 touchdowns. The 6-foot, 201-pound speedster, who was a highly decorated youth track athlete, was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last season.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
