Oklahoma State responds to Sports Illustrated story

In the wake of Sports Illustrated’s report alleging illicit payments made to athletes, Oklahoma State has responded. The school has devoted an entire page on its website with various quotes and statements combating the report.

The page features official responses from school president Burns Hargis and athletic director Mike Holder. Burns said the school will look into the allegations, and Holder said that while he apologized for the negative attention brought on by the report, he said it wasn’t an admission of guilt.

“Oklahoma State University is deeply troubled by these claims,” said Hargis. “We will investigate the accuracy of the allegations and take all appropriate action. We do not condone or tolerate improper conduct in our athletic programs. OSU requires everyone affiliated with the university to follow the rules and adhere to the highest ethical standards.”

“In Monday’s news conference, I apologized to our fans and mentioned phone calls I had made to other Big 12 athletic directors prior to the release of the first article from Sports Illustrated,” Burns stated. “To clarify, my apology was in regards to the negative publicity that was coming our way. My apology was in no way an admission of wrong doing by OSU Athletics.”

Sports Illustrated’s allegations are strong, and Oklahoma State has certainly come back with a strong response.

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