I know, Steve, it's a problem. Just last week I was having lunch with Jennifer who is still desparate for you but just never could bring herself to tell you. I said, "Just suck it up, kid. The waters move down the river. He's made another life, now." Little good that did. A. Leon Polhill, Gator "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." - Mark Twain
________________________________ From: Steve McKibben <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, November 23, 2011 1:14:13 PM Subject: Re: [gatortalk] Wkng reports meyer to bucknuts I feel more the way Rob does. But I've also (finally!) reached the stage of my life where I've forgiven all of the girls/women that I have known over the years that dumped me/ignored me/didn't know that I existed... Steve ________________________________ From: Scott Lucas <[email protected]> Or just maybe the whole timing and reasons he gave for leaving? Lets be honest... if Tressel knew about the issues at OSU, others did too. Its not too hard of a stretch to think some big time boosters at OSU knew it too and probably planted a bug in Meyer's ear. We are talking 3-4 year old knowledge of the ongoing improprieties-- that goes back before even Meyer's last year at UF. Armed with the knowledge that Tressel's days were numbered, could Meyer have looked for a way to get out? Would he look worse getting out before a 6-5 season he must have known was coming and health reasons, and being able to take a year off, and then taking the OSU job or would he look worse leaving Florida for OSU outright? How much more upset and angry would Gator Nation be? Could he have been protecting his image and reputation as a winner and avoiding what he knew would be an off year? There is a LOT more to this behind the scenes than we will ever know, and it surely is NOT just about his health issues. Was there some truth to what he told all of us when he left? Sure there was... but there was a lot of lying by omission and a lot of other reason we will never know nor would he admit. Scott ________________________________ From: Rob Alexander <[email protected]> It's funny how we accept complicated and conflicting feelings from people we know, but then reduce people we don't know to one-dimensional charicatures. I guess none of us has ever changed our minds, or said 'I'll never do that again', but then done so. If we did, were we lying, or just expressing our honest feelings at the time? Did it become a lie later even if we meant it when we said it? (My wife says yes! :-) ) I don't find it at all hard to believe that Meyer meant what he said when he resigned even if he takes the OSU job. The man had a serious health scare. He came back and tried being more balanced, but it didn't turn out well. He may well have concluded that he really couldn't be a successful coach and live a balanced life. (After watching last season, I know I concluded that about him.) So what was the lie? That he had health problems? That's well documented. That the balancing act didn't seem to be working? It didn't. That he wanted to spend more time with his family? Well, he did exactly that. He went to dozens of his daughters' games and coached his son's team, so I don't think that was a lie. Did he ever say he would never coach again? No. There are no lies here. There's just a guy who misses his chosen profession, who spent a year watching from the outside while wishing he was on the inside, and who may have been offered the top coaching job at his childhood favorite team. Is it really that hard to understand that he might give it another try? Personally, I'd rather have him at OSU than at Florida. I wish him the best -- he gave us two MNCs, after all -- but I think he's broken and will never be able to sustain, over the long run, the intensity that made him great. He'll have a good couple of years there, and then the stress will get to him again and they'll go through what we did. Or maybe not... I'll be pleased if it works out for him, but I've moved on and am more interested in how our coaches are going to do next year. (Ever the optimist!) Rob -- 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 -- 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
