How Wendell Gregory's Arrest Could Impact Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State has some decisions to make about its star freshman.

On Saturday night, Wendell Gregory was arrested for larceny of merchandise from a retailer after being accused of taking $211 worth of merchandise from a Stillwater Walmart across four days in May, with the news first reported by Reagan Harris. 

This news came just two days after Gregory had a sensational debut for OSU. Against UT Martin on Thursday night, Gregory had three sacks in the win, tying a Big 12 freshman record and becoming the first Cowboy to reach that mark in seven seasons.

Considering the Cowboys spent the entire offseason trying to move one from their awful three-win campaign in 2024, Gregory’s arrest is simply something the program would rather not have to deal with. Already dismissing Miami transfer Zaquan Patterson the week before the season began, OSU has already had to make some difficult decisions with players.

After Todd Grantham’s unit looked physical and big enough to potentially compete with some of the best in the Big 12, losing Gregory for any amount of time would be a significant blow. Of course, the Cowboys might simply handle this internally and allow Gregory to suit up for the Pokes’ bout at Oregon in Week 2.

It also wouldn’t be the first time that OSU has taken that route as a means of discipline for legal trouble. Just last year, the Cowboys chose not to suspend Ollie Gordon after he was arrested for a DUI in the offseason.

Of course, the Cowboys still had weeks before the start of the season, whereas this comes after the year has already begun. Still, as the Cowboys have options to choose from, their past actions in somewhat similar situations likely point toward them 

However, if the Cowboys choose a different path this time and suspend Gregory, it would be a crushing blow to any hopes they have of defeating Oregon next week and could significantly impact OSU’s season if a suspension would last longer than one game.

As one of the top transfer additions of OSU’s offseason, there was never a doubt that Gregory could show some star potential in Stillwater. While his arrest hasn’t necessarily changed anything on that front, it still puts a bit of a stain on his impressive debut.

The Cowboys are set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Oregon in Week 2 before having their first bye week.