Oklahoma State will not suspend star RB Gordon after drunk driving arrest

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy announced Tuesday that star running back Ollie Gordon II will not miss any playing time following his recent arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.

“He’s going to play,” Gundy said, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “I’m going to do what we think is best for the Oklahoma State football team. And I think it’s best for Ollie if he plays. If there’s a penalty for that, it’s that he has to carry the ball 50 times on the first play.”

Gundy added that Gordon faces internal punishment, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic.

Gordon was arrested on June 30 on suspicion of driving under the influence. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer stopped Gordon after he was driving 82 mph in a 65 mph zone and weaving through traffic, Vannini notes, adding that the officer found open bottles of vodka and tequila in Gordon’s car during the traffic stop.

Gordon was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol while under 21, carrying an open container of alcohol, failure to maintain a lane and speeding. He was later released on bail.

“He’s very lucky that no one was hurt,” Gundy said, according to Vannini. “That’s much more important than any embarrassment for him and his family. I’m not going to protect him and I’m not going to hold him accountable for his actions. I’ve had many conversations with him and we’ll have more in the next month. He needs to understand how serious the situation is. It’s going to cost him a lot of money in legal fees and so on, but it could have cost him his life or someone else’s life.”

“Unfortunately, he is on a shorter leash at the moment,” the Sideline boss added, according to Thamel.

Gordon led the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards last season and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back. The All-American tailback also ran for 20 touchdowns and averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2023.