Urban Meyer and the Questions Polite People Don't Want to Ask

Let's start by saying I respect Urban Meyer as a great coach and a nice man and great father. The recent news was as unexpected to me as anyone.

Not in the medical condition, which I had reported on before, but the timing of the announcement.

This article is meant by no means to cast doubt upon the motives behind Meyer's announcement, but there are people who are asking questions that some see as not being "polite" to ask at this time.

So before the press finally canonizes St. Urban the First, we must at least ask ourselves what we believe the answers are to a few questions, and wait and see if Meyer gives us an answer on any of them.

1. Why now?

According to Kirk Herbstreit, Meyer says his condition is not life-threatening, and he has been dealing with it for four years. Why not tell the University privately, then tell the world following the Sugar Bowl game?

Did he...

a. Just want to be the topic of conversation for the days leading up to it?

b. Want to use it as motivation to help inspire his team?

c. Learn something just in the last day or two medically that forced it to be brought up now?

2. He says it's stress related, so...

a. Is the increasing stress from losing Dan Mullen, Charley Strong, Spikes, Tebow and others?

b. Suddenly becoming second fiddle in the SEC with no end in sight with Saban's recruiting?

c. Other stresses that he's not telling us?

3. What about the money?

a. He has a five-year contract; what is Florida on the hook for if he says he wants to stay as an employee of "other duties"?

b. Will Florida come off badly in the PR circuit if they don't offer him something?

4. About his contract...

a. If he recovers next year, is he still under his five-year contract to Florida?

b. Does he owe Florida money for leaving early? (And would Florida go after it?)

c. Are they still on the hook for insurance and medical payouts?

5. Will he have a say in his successor?


6. About staying on at Florida in "some other capacity"...what capacity?

7. Could it be a nuisance to the next coach to still have Urban hanging around?

8. Has Meyer told anything to Florida administrators he hasn't told the press about his long-term goals?

This is not an article that pretends to know the answer to any of these questions, but rather to put out what a lot of people are wondering, but not saying at this time.

Some of the answers will likely never be known; others will become evident over the next few months.

Everyone wishes Urban Meyer and his family the very best in his treatment and subsequent recovery of these illnesses.

He is a man with nothing left to prove; just a few questions to answer.