Oklahoma C Ty Darlington says SAE scandal 'almost tore us apart'
Oklahoma center Ty Darlington said the Sooners were divided in how to respond to the SAE scandal on campus.
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Oklahoma's football team responded to the SAE scandal with a lengthy statement and participation in an on-campus demonstration of school unity along with head coach Bob Stoops.
According to Sooners center Ty Darlington, it took a couple of days for the team to get on the same page. In fact, the senior lineman told Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel the issue "almost tore us apart."
"We already had the leadership in place to move things forward, so we used that for the SAE issue as well," said Striker. "We were tackling getting back to winning games. Now we're tackling a social issue and cultural diversity issue as well."
In the emotional hours and days following the video's release, OU players held a series of heated team meetings. According to numerous accounts, the roster was split between those who felt they should take a stand and put football on hold, and those who wanted to proceed with business as usual.
"It almost tore us apart," said Darlington. "We had the longest couple days of our life. A lot of screaming and yelling, some near physical altercations."
Stoops responded to the issue by canceling spring practice sessions and allowing the team's leaders to coordinate their demonstration efforts with campus leaders. As Mandel points out in the story, the Sooners have been dealing with plenty of tension this spring following a disappointing 8-5 season in 2014.
Oklahoma wrapped up its spring practice last weekend with the spring game. Catch up on the Sooners' quarterback competition and spring games from around the country with last weekend's spring game roundup.
