Did Urban Meyer Change His Story To Save 2010 Recruiting and More?

Urban Meyer is a good man and great coach, by all accounts a man of faith and conviction. Though neither this author or any other should try and impugn any of these traits in him during this time of turmoil for him and his family, doubts and questions linger over the quick change in his decision.

Did he change his story because he heard recruits that seemed firmly committed were now wavering? No one doubts Meyer's love of Florida and desire to keep the program he helped build going strong.

Did Florida urge him to go along with the plan to help salvage this recruiting class?

Could he have simply "altered" his decision to help the people he loves and respects at Florida and for the good of the program? We all are wondering, and other schools are taking it up on the phones right now.

You can bet that coaches everywhere are saying something like this to the Florida 2010 recruiting class:

"Son, Urban may or may not come back. You heard him say family comes before football. He's just saying that so he can help trick you into coming to Florida. He's just wanting to put his buddy and hand-picked man in power, and, son, he ain't even an experienced offensive coordinator, much less a head coach. You could be stuck in a mess there. You might want to seriously reconsider your options and come to [fill in the blank]."

Does Urban honestly believe that such things won't be said? Of course he knows they will be.

Once Steve Addazio, the offensive coordinator, was named interim head coach, any coaching searches stopped and he became the man. This is a man whose only head coaching experience was in high school and before this year had never even been a college coordinator.

Simply put, Addazio is a nice man with some experience but he has as much right to run the Gators program as you and I do swapping paint at 200 mph with Jimmy Johnson at Talladega. After all, we have a lot of experience driving a car.

So if Urban does plan to come back, clearly he's not putting someone in power that is going to be hard to move out of that slot. Smart thinking on Meyer's part if he is serious about wanting to come back.

We all remember what happened when Johnny Majors put Phillip Fulmer in charge during his illness and Fulmer just never gave the power back after winning some games. Fulmer ended up pushing Majors out altogether.

Majors has never gotten over the resentment and betrayal he feels toward Fulmer.

Now there are more questions than ever. Does Meyer retain his full pay while out? Does Addazio get a big bump now? How long will Florida let Meyer take a sabbatical? The questions are almost endless.

When it comes to matters of medical conditions, normally I'd say that is indeed a private matter. But when you're an employee at a taxpayer-financed public university and you're being paid the money he is, you should be a little more revealing than he has been with the public.

There are some questions that simply need an answer.

Though everyone wishes Meyer and his family the best, Meyer should be reminded of the little boy who cried "Wolf!" too often. It's going to be taken less seriously the next time he yells.