Florida Gators: First-Class Football, Second-Class Citizens

Earlier today Urban Meyer released a statement in his press conference that Brandon Spikes would be suspended for the first half of the Vanderbilt game this upcoming week.

This past weekend against Georgia, Spikes was caught on video eye gouging the Georgia running back after he had already been tackled and was laying on the ground. The video showed him not only sticking his hands into the face mask, but also twisting his hands around and gouging his eye. This is seen by most as blatantly unsportsmanlike and a disgrace to the game of football, but Tim Tebow and Head Coach Urban Meyer attempted to cover up the situation as Meyer said "he got caught up in the emotion" and Tebow said " I don't think we did anything that they didn't do." Although the Gators may be the best team in college football they are certainly not the classiest.

It is one thing if a player makes a mistake and acts against the will of his teammates as was the case with Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount when he punched a Boise State player after the game when he was being taunted, where the school, the league, and the coach found Blount guilty and suspended him for the rest of the season ( originally and now he is trying to get back into the league). That is one situation, another is when you supposed "student-athlete" jumps on top of a player who was already tackled to the ground and puts his finger inside their face mask in an effort to gouge out his eye.

The league (SEC) the school and Urban Meyer decided that this action warranted a half of a football game suspension. Seriously? What kind of message does that send to the team? What kind of message does that send to the rest of the league that the best team can give out a blatant cheap shot and receive little to no disciplinary infractions. When did football become all about winning and not at all about teaching these student athletes how to be men both on and off the field. Part of the appeal of college football is that these are student athletes that are competing on Saturday and studying on Monday; good kids that families at home can relate to.

Urban Meyers suspension, the SEC's agreement with that suspension and Florida University's actions are about as sick as Spike's eye gouge. All of these agents involved in this situation are trying to, as Urban put it, "move on" instead of using this as a learning example to teach both Brandon Spikes and his teammates that this behavior is unacceptable instead of a slap on the wrist move so that you do no loose your best defensive player.

I agree that a coach should defend his player to the media and stick up for him when the rest of the country is outraged by his actions, that I have no problem with. But by suspending him for just half of a football game is a slap in the face to the rest of the league, to Georgia, and every other team that is held accountable for their actions.

My high school football coach once said that wins on paper are shallow and that it was the people in the locker room those wins special. The SEC, Urban Meyer, Brandon Spikes, and the University of Florida have disgraced themselves and college football in general with their slap on the wrist penalty to Spikes today and I for one have lost all respect.

As said best by a Notre Dame fan today when he said he will take Charlie Weis and a 6-2 record with student athletes on the field that fans can be proud of over the Florida Gators and Urban Meyer any day.

Somebody needs to teach this team that it is not your success on the football field, but who you are as a person that will determine your success in life.