NORMAN, Okla. — Jonathan Gray didn't say anything about a recent drug test issue Tuesday afternoon when he and the rest of the Oklahoma baseball team met with the media.
Gray didn't have to.
He didn't have to because Gray is eligible to pitch, and that's all that seems to matter as the Oklahoma baseball team heads to LSU for a series that will determine whether the Sooners make it to Omaha, Neb., and the College Baseball World Series.
Gray made no mention of the Major League Baseball predraft drug test that returned a positive result for Adderall, despite the fact that ESPN.com's Keith Law said Gray had no prescription for the drug.
Major League Baseball administered the test to some of the nation’s top prospects. The positive result is against Major League Baseball rules, and since Gray was tested by MLB, not the NCAA, Gray is eligible. It also means he can keep quiet.
But, man, it would have been so much better if he said something about it.
Gray is one of the best players in college baseball. He has 1.59 ERA and is 10-2 this season. Last week against Coastal Carolina in the NCAA regional, Gray threw more than 120 pitches, the last coming at 102 mph in a complete-game win. He's regarded by just about everyone as a top-two pick in the MLB Draft on Thursday. He's a sensational talent and a local kid from Chandler, Okla., the captain and leader of an Oklahoma team that hasn't lost this postseason.
"There's nothing more to learn about Jonathan Gray and his mental toughness and his character," Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway said. "I said this three weeks ago: He's who I want my son Callen to grow up to be like. Not pitch like, be like. He's who you want your daughter to marry."
Added Sooners catcher Anthony Hermelyn: "Jon's a great teammate. We trust him 100 percent. He's been a great teammate and a great guy."
So, let Gray prove it. Let's see this character Golloway praised him for. Let's hear why he had Adderall in his system. Give us a reason to believe you or give us a reason to forgive you.
Give us something. Instead we got close to nothing.
"At this point in time, Jon Gray is an eligible student-athlete, like all the rest of them," Golloway said. "He's held accountable, like the rest of the team is held accountable, like all the student-athletes are. That's pretty much end of the story."
No, actually this seems like the beginning. Gray will get drafted and then the questions will start when they could have been avoided. The end of the story comes when Gray comes forward and explains himself.
Maybe he took the Adderall for a good reason. Maybe he needed it to help him focus for a big test during finals. Maybe he needs it, like so many others do, to deal with ADHD.
Maybe there's a really good reason. We just didn't get to hear it Tuesday.
Any explanation would be enough. He's a college player who would certainly be forgiven quickly for any wrongdoing, but now we don't know if there was any foul play or if there was due cause. We do know there would be no shortage of folks ready to take his side, no matter what the explanation is.
But Gray didn't have to talk about it, so he didn't, offering up a canned, one-paragraph statement which didn't address the controversy. Gray did not take questions after.
"We all know we're going down to Louisiana, and it's going to be a great team and a tough atmosphere to play," Gray said. "But we just have to focus on getting back to Omaha. My job is to help us out as much as possible and make sure we get there."
Undoubtedly, that will happen. Gray will start in the first game against the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La. He doesn't owe anyone any more than that, and apparently hasn't offered any more, either.
"I didn't ask Jon for an explanation," Golloway said. "As the head coach at the University of Oklahoma, it's real simple, cut and dry. The NCAA has their drug testing and has their rules. The university, our institution, has their drug testing, has its rules in place."
Golloway is right. The Sooners are not in the wrong. Neither is Gray.
"He's Oklahoma grown," Golloway said. "He's proven his mental toughness. He's proven his character. And he's proven his self-worth. I don't think he needs to prove it any further."
Golloway is right about that, too. Gray doesn't have to prove a thing, but it sure would be notable if he came out and told the truth.
Isn't that what being a captain, a leader and being mentally tough is all about?
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter @andrewgilmanOK
