Sherwood Park NCAA star calls out ‘insensitive’ coach

Chuba Hubbard, so far in his football career, hasn’t been much for talk. He’s been mostly about action.

But this action is definitely going to cause a reaction.

Hubbard, the Sherwood Park product who was the top rusher in all of NCAA Div. 1 football with Oklahoma State last season, Monday called out head coach Mike Gundy on Twitter Monday when he saw a photo of the coach wearing an OAN (One America News) T-shirt while on a fishing trip to Lake Texoma, near the Oklahoma-texas border.

“I will not stand for this,” tweeted Hubbard, the former Bev Facey Falcons high school star.

“This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society and it’s unacceptable. I will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE.”

Within minutes linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga of Calgary, Oklahoma State’s top defensive player, sent out a support tweet: “I stand with him.”

Ogbongbemiga had contracted COVID-19 after protests in Stillwater, Okla.

Less than an hour after the Hubbard tweet Teven Jenkins sent out another tweet: “As an O-line we stand and support Chuba.”

OAN is a controversial farright operation that is known for constant praise of U.S. President Donald Trump, and was recently charged by HBO’S Last Week Tonight host John Oliver as having described Black Lives Matter as a “criminal organization.”

Hubbard is coming off an enormously successful season at Oklahoma State, rushing for an Ncaa-high 2,094 yards, producing one of the most sensational statistical seasons for a running back since the great Barry Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards at the same school in 1988.

Hubbard was in the Heisman Trophy conversation all season and won the Jon Cornish Award as the top Canadian in U.S. college football.

To many, Hubbard has been viewed as a player who avoided controversy and toed the line of a college football program that didn’t encourage many interviews, much less free speech on this scale.

But his best friend growing up in Sherwood Park and former teammate, Chase Avery, said Hubbard has a lot of character and depth and has always tended to say what he believes.

“He’s growing up and making his own decisions,” Avery said two hours after Hubbard’s tweet that rocked not just the football and sports worlds but the world beyond.

“I’m very impressed. It’s a big thing to step away from the game, especially when it’s going into his draft year like he is right now. To help make the change that needs to happen, it just shows how mature he has become over the years.”

Avery said Hubbard’s way has always been pretty low-key but his true character has always been there for his close friends in Sherwood Park to see.

“He’s always wanted to help out the community and help make a change when it needs to happen. A change needs to happen and he sees the platform he’s on right now and is able to capitalize while he’s on it and really help to get the awareness out that needs to happen.

“I just always noticed that he was the guy speaking up out of our group growing up whenever someone was doing something wrong or saw something that shouldn’t be happening. He was always the one to speak up for all of us.”

Hubbard did not respond for comment before press time.