I know that when I sit down to write a column, there are times when the thoughts come easily and there are times when you struggle to find a hook.

As a reporter, you get paid (or in my case, not paid) to be observant. Those natural reporter's instincts never go away.

As a columnist, you need to have an opinion and defend that position.

A couple of weeks ago, after Oklahoma State got trounced by Troy University 41-23 in Troy, Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson observed something that she thought was unusual. That scene, which can be seen as either touching or iffy, is described in the lead of her column, which was published Saturday morning.

After pulling out a win on Saturday over Texas Tech 49-45, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy snapped, berating Jenni Carlson over what he thought was an unfair personal attack directed at former starting quarterback Bobby Reid (the subject of the column).

"Where are we at in society today? Come after me. I'm a man. I'm 40. I'm not a kid," Gunday said in the press conference. Gundy also questioned Carlson about whether or not she had kids, noting that if she was a parent, she wouldn't have written such a piece.

Gundy was doing what a coach should do; he was defending his player. Bobby Reid, from all counts, is a nice man – a stand up individual in a sport where being a stand up individual is more and more difficult. I applaud Gundy in that respect, because his heart appeared to be in the right place.

My problem, however, is with the method that he undertook.

Mike, if the column was not a piece that you thought was flattering, here's what you should have done: You should have had your sports information director contact Carlson and asked to speak to her or request an interview. Bring her in to your office and have a chat there. Offer your opinion to her on her article and what you thought of it in private.

But to hold up the paper and call her out in the press conference was a gutless, classless move. Again, I am okay with you defending your player, but there's a thing called time, place and manner. You turned this into a national story with your behavior. As the leader of a major college football program, that simply should not happen.

If you don't blow up like a powder keg, no one outside of Stillwater would have even heard of this column or known that she called out Bobby Reid.

However, there's an underlying issue here that needs to be addressed as well.

Reid is 21 years old and a junior at a major Division 1 university. Not only that, but until two weeks ago he was the starting quarterback of the program. I find it hard to believe that Reid can't handle the criticism of being called "soft" (which, when boiled down, is the essence of Carlson's piece – that Reid is talented but his attitude is what got him benched.)

To continue to call Reid a "kid" does him a disservice. He's not a kid; he's a man, and while he may be an amateur, he is still being paid for his service to the university – what else is a scholarship but a form of payment? In fact, a cynical person may say that Gundy's reaction to the piece, and his defense of Reid, is part of the problem. That Reid may not have the intestinal fortitude to deal with criticism.

Only those close to the program can answer that question. But what Carlson did was offer up her opinion, her thoughts about that question, and she got blasted by the coach for that. And, today, he's getting ripped by the media.

It's a no-win situation for all involved.