LAS VEGAS -- Oklahoma State All-America running back Ollie Gordon II will not miss any playing time in the wake of his recent DUI arrest, according to Cowboys coach Mike Gundy.
Gordon, the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence on the morning of June 30. Gundy stressed that Gordon was lucky that neither he nor no one else was injured.
"He's going to play," Gundy told ESPN on Tuesday. "I'm going to do what we think is best for Oklahoma State football. And I think it's best for Ollie to play. If there's any punishment, it's making him carry the ball 50 times in the first game."
Gordon, 20, issued a formal apology Monday and said Tuesday that he couldn't elaborate on specifics because of legal reasons. The decision to bring Gordon to Big 12 media day in the wake of the arrest was a surprising one, but Gundy said that Gordon is on a "shorter leash" moving forward and that accountability of answering questions for his mistake was part of the learning process.
"Your punishment is going to be facing the facts," Gundy said he told Gordon. "That's why we brought him here today."
Gundy added that he told Gordon that things are different in college football than five years ago, with athletes "essentially employees" now.
"I said, 'You're not going into hiding. You're going to face the music, you're going to have to stand up and talk to people and answer questions. And, hopefully, more than football, you can learn from the situation you've been in,'" Gundy said. "Because if not, then we have a real issue."
Gundy added that his first reaction upon hearing about the situation was asking if anyone got injured.
"Ollie is very fortunate that he was able to get out of that situation without anyone getting hurt," Gundy said.
Gordon said that he has a meeting scheduled in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with Gundy upon return from media days.
"Whatever he decides," Gordon said in reference to punishment, "I back it a hundred percent."
Oklahoma State opens the season with South Dakota State, the two-time defending FCS champion, and hosts Arkansas the following week. Oklahoma State is among the favorites in the Big 12, as it returns 20 starters, including Gordon, from a team that reached the Big 12 title game.
Oklahoma State also is a serious contender for the College Football Playoff, which expands to 12 teams this year. Oklahoma State has appeared in the CFP rankings 43 times since they started in 2014, and only Utah (44) has appeared more times without reaching the four-team playoff.
Gordon, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the faces of the sport in 2024, having earned the Doak Walker Award for the nation's top tailback. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting and earned unanimous All-America honors. He finished 2023 with 1,732 yards rushing and 21 rushing touchdowns. He added 330 receiving yards and an additional receiving touchdown.
"He's on a shorter leash right now, unfortunately," Gundy said. "Because I understand young people, we all make mistakes. If we don't learn from those, then it's not really good. We've had several conversations. We'll have more over the next month. I think that he understands how serious that situation was. Hopefully he can learn from it and move forward."
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Kyle Bonagura contributed to this report.