I say you start with the uga player who deliberately hit Spikes in the head with his helmet -- after Spikes had lost his helmet. Spikes was actually hurt in that play. Really selective finger-pointing by sanctimonious hypocrites.
Mary sent from my iPhone On Nov 3, 2009, at 10:52 AM, "Ken Kirkley" <[email protected]> wrote: > When I was talking about egomaniacal sportswriters, did I mention > self-rightous too? > > so Dan, what would be the appropriate punishment? Would you punish > only those who get caught on video? Would you punish the late hit > on Tebow? > > Ken K > MNGator > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Shane Ford > Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 10:39 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [gatornews] [Yahoo! Sports]: Florida’s punishment of Spikes > doesn’t fit crime (Wetzel) > > Florida’s punishment of Spikes doesn’t fit crime > By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports Nov 2, 2:56 pm EST > > > > > > Eye-gouging is considered such a foul, filthy act that it’s banned b > y even our most blatantly combative exercises, including mixed marti > al arts and pro wrestling. > > Sheriff Urban Meyer of the Gainesville PD isn’t as concerned, appare > ntly. > > The SEC says it accepts Florida’s first-half suspension of defensive > captain Brandon Spikes for an eye-gouging incident last week. > Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was caught on film purposefully > jamming his fingers through the facemask of Georgia running back > Washaun Ealey on Saturday in an effort to rip at Ealey’s eyes. > > It was about as ugly and unbecoming of a play as there is in football. > > For the act, Meyer will bench his star linebacker for the first half > of the Gators’ game against Vanderbilt. > > Repeat: one half. That penalty isn’t a joke, although the man dishin > g it out is acting like one. > > There is almost no excuse for Spikes’ conduct. None. It was a dirty > play and one with serious ramifications. There’s a reason violently > poking your fingers at someone’s eye is a zero tolerance offense. Th > e other guy can go blind. He has no ability to protect himself. > > Football is an emotional, violent pursuit and acts like this happen > more than the camera catches. “I don’t think that we did anything > in that game that they didn’t do,” quarterback Tim Tebow told > reporters. > > That’s the excuse of a child though. The other-guy-does-it-too is ne > ver a justifiable defense. It wouldn’t even matter if Ealey had prov > oked him (the two had been jawing prior to the incident). > > Spikes is the one who got caught. > > Meyer ought to be man enough to know this, which is why his decision > to dole out such a light punishment is more pathetic than Spikes’ or > iginal sin. > > UF athletic director Jeremy Foley or SEC commissioner Mike Slive > should’ve stepped in and issued a real suspension. > > “I don’t condone that,” Meyer told reporters Monday of > Spikes’ play. > > Gee, really, you don’t condone it? > > “We’re going to suspend Brandon for the first half of the > Vanderbilt game,” Meyer said. “I talked to him, that’s not who > he is. I love Brandon Spikes, the team does. We’re going to move on. > He has our full support.” > > Florida is begging for an adult to lead them. Meyer isn’t it when it > comes to player conduct. He may be a heck of a football coach, grea > t recruiter, perhaps even devout family man and charitable person. > > It doesn’t change the fact this was a craven decision. > > This is a sport, unfortunately, where you don’t need to run a progra > m the right way to earn massive fame, fortune and support though. A > large proportion of Gator fans wouldn’t care if Ealey’s eye had > been damaged. It’s like that with every college team. > > For too many fans it’s just about winning games. They’ll pretend > Meyer is doing it the right way whether he is or not. They’ll justi > fy Spikes’ act and the light penalty somehow. > > Meyer and Foley know that. They know football runs the school and, > as such, no one who runs the school will mess with football. So they > ’ll do as they wish and pretend it’s no big deal. > > The fans will cheer anyway. The checks will clear regardless. Spikes > may even have another 10-tackle, pick-six afternoon like he did > against Georgia. > > There ought to be more though. Dirty plays are dirty plays. Meyer > may be correct that this act isn’t who Spikes is. Fine. No one is sa > ying he’s a monster. Sitting him for a couple of games isn’t > disproportionate punishment though. > > A lesson needs to be taught. A standard should be upheld. Some > discipline has to be displayed – both to those inside and outside t > he program. > > The University of Florida should care about more than the pursuit of > a glass football trophy. > > This is about winning games by any means necessary, it’s about justi > fying and enabling out-of-control play, it’s about brushing off con > cerns about the safety of opposing players. > > The timing is interesting that on the same day UF was giving a wrist > slap for an eye gouge, Oregon was set to reinstate running back > LeGarrette Blount for his sucker punch of a Boise State player and > attempted charge at fans back in September. > > It took less than 24 hours for Oregon to suspend Blount for the > entire season back then. > > “There is no place on the field of play for that kind of action, and > his conduct was reprehensible,” school president Richard Lariviere > said in a statement. “We do not and will not tolerate the actions th > at were taken by our player. Oregon’s loyal fans expect and deserve > better.” > > The initial punishment was too severe – you always want to allow for > a player to rectify his mistake. Allowing Blount to work his way ba > ck to the team through contrition, sacrifice and action was the prop > er idea. In the end, the running back will have sat seven games. > > It’s difficult to argue that Oregon didn’t act decisively and > then properly. > > Florida just acted in its best football interests. One of its team > captains went after an opposing player with the dirtiest of plays. > > He’ll sit out a half. > > It’s all about blind ambition in Gainesville. > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
