A prominent member of the Oklahoma coaching staff has leveled just about as harsh an accusation as you can make against a football player.
Tuesday, OU officials confirmed speculation that Charles Walker had played his last down for the Sooners as the defensive lineman had decided to turn his focus to preparing for the 2017 NFL draft. The defensive lineman had been projected as a possible first-round selection entering the 2016 season.
Shortly after the confirmation of Walker’s departure, an obviously-perturbed OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops blasted Walker for his decision as well as his lack of commitment to the team.
“Quitting on your teammates is hard to take, as a coach,” Stoops, the brother of head coach Bob Stoops, said. “That’s everything we stand for -- our commitment to one another and, for whatever reason, that wasn’t there for him. He thought this was a better avenue so you would have to ask him for those (answers). ...
"[Y]ou can’t have guys coming and going and have a group of players committed to what they’re doing day in and day out, putting all the time and energy into it. It’s not fair to the players that are on our team if they’re not committed to the team.”
Walker suffered a concussion in the TCU game Oct. 1 and hadn’t played since. That concussion was at least the second one the lineman has suffered in less than 10 months.