THE Ohio State Football Thread

[Jason]

I saw that one too. He will have to add a circle with a bar over it.

[Jason]

Elliot to OSU.

[Bengals1181]

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[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]Bill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
Ezekiel Elliott announces he's staying with [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OhioState&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OhioState[/b][/url].[/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]Bill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
Urban Meyer just told the remaining media here that he was never concerned that Ezekiel Elliott would flip to Missouri. [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OSU&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OSU[/b][/url][/background][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[url="https://twitter.com/LanceMcAlister"][b]Lance McAlister[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]LanceMcAlister[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
Just talked with Urban Meyer. He will be my guest tonight on Sports Talk. [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Buckeyes&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]Buckeyes[/b][/url][/background][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]Bill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
[url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OSU&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OSU[/b][/url] cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs named [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Buckeyes&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]Buckeyes[/b][/url] special teams coordinator, school announces.[/background][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

That's a lot for one guy to handle.


[color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]B[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]ill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]Just to be clear, Kerry Coombs will remain the [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OhioState&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OhioState[/b][/url]cornerbacks coach. Special teams is an added duty. [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23buckeyes&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]buckeyes[/b][/url][/background][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]Bill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]
Tickets for [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OSU&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OSU[/b][/url] spring game at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincy go on sale March 1. Tickets are $18 for club seats, $12 for general reserved...[/background][/font][/color]

[Jason]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1360356621' post='1213573']
That's a lot for one guy to handle.


[color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]B[url="https://twitter.com/brdispatch"][b]ill Rabinowitz[/b] ‏[size=3][s]@[/s][b]brdispatch[/b][/size][/url][/background][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=Arial, sans-serif][background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]Just to be clear, Kerry Coombs will remain the [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OhioState&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]OhioState[/b][/url]cornerbacks coach. Special teams is an added duty. [url="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23buckeyes&src=hash"][s]#[/s][b]buckeyes[/b][/url][/background][/font][/color]
[/quote]

I'm sure Meyer will still be active on special teams.

[Jason]

Ohio State landed 3 verbals for 2014 today, bringing their tally to 5. An "athlete" (Parris Campbell), O-lineman (Kyle Trout) and a DE (Lawrence Marshall). All are 4 star guys.

[Bengals1181]

The Big Ten Conference office announced new football division alignments on Sunday that are set to begin in 2014 and a nine-game conference schedule for 2016. According to the conference’s website, the changes to the division names were unanimously recommended by the directors of athletics at each school and supported by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors.

“Big Ten directors of athletics concluded four months of study and deliberation with unanimous approval of a future football structure that preserved rivalries and created divisions based on their primary principle of East/West geography,” Big Ten Commissioner JimDelany released in a statement. “The directors of athletics also relied on the results of a fan survey commissioned by BTN last December to arrive at their recommendation, which is consistent with the public sentiment expressed in the poll.”

Ohio State will be joined by Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East division, while the West will house Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. Each school is scheduled to play the other six in its division in addition to two teams from the other division in transitional years 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the addition of a third game against a team from the other division will be part of the nine-game schedule that has one protected annual matchup between Purdue and Indiana.

“Big Ten directors of athletics met in person or by conference call six times from December to March to discuss a new Big Ten football model,” Delany said. “The level of cooperation and collaboration was reflective of what we’ve come to expect from this group of administrators who have worked extremely well together on a number of complex matters over the past several years. We are all looking forward to ushering in this new era of Big Ten football.”

OSU is scheduled to take on Buffalo in the season opener on Aug. 31 in Columbus.

http://www.thelantern.com/sports/big-ten-announces-football-division-alignments-nine-game-schedule-set-for-2016-1.3037820?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=The_Lantern_2&utm_campaign=The_Lantern_2_2013511150#.UYFgfqLvvy0

[Vol_Bengal]

No comments on Urban lately since the Hernandez stuff broke in here?

 

Kinda surprised I guess.

[Bengals1181]

No comments on Urban lately since the Hernandez stuff broke in here?

 

Kinda surprised I guess.

 

 

what's to comment on?  Urban has little to nothing to do with it no matter how much the media tries to push that angle.

[Vol_Bengal]

 

 

what's to comment on?  Urban has little to nothing to do with it no matter how much the media tries to push that angle.

Was more with regard to his discipline approach during his tenure at Florida...

 

Some pretty damning stats, comments from a former player, etc.

[Bengals1181]

Was more with regard to his discipline approach during his tenure at Florida...

 

Some pretty damning stats, comments from a former player, etc.

 

 

didn't Urban state after he left that part of the reason he left was because of what the culture of the program had become?  Granted, he's in part responsible for it, but I don't think he's ever shied away from the reality of it.

 

He talked a lot about hating what recruiting had become like in the SEC and the things he saw others doing and the things he'd done or would have to potentially do to keep up.

[Bengals1181]

Young Cancer Patient Beats 'Michigan'

COLUMBUS, Ohio -

A special young man received a well-deserved send-off Friday at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Last November, NBC4 showcased the Reed family from Bellville, Ohio.

Troy and Denise Reed met as members of The Ohio State University Marching Band. They're diehard Buckeyes, and those values were instill in their children, Collin and Grant.

When Grant was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago, he nicknamed the disease "Michigan." But Friday, he beat Blue.

When the bell rings at Nationwide Children's Hospital, its sound represents renewed life.

"We've heard it run a few times. There was always the thought of having him to it. Today we got to hear it," Troy said.

On the 11^th floor at the hospital, the bell awaits patients completing their final chemotherapy treatment.

OSU Head Coach Urban Meyer stopped by the hospital in December, and spent time with Grant, who turns 13 next month.

Doctors said the prognosis for Grant looks good.

"We've beaten Michigan for the short term, but like any rival, there's a chance it can come back," Troy said.

Grant will return to the hospital every three months for an MRI. He suffered some complications from treatment, which impacted his speech and mobility.

"I want to recover. I want to talk faster, I guess. Walk faster," he said.

Before he left, Grant and his brother donated two wagons for future patients at the hospital -- part of the Buckeye way to pay it forward.

"We did make the stipulation. It had to say 'Beat Michigan' on it," Troy said.

"We both spent time in the hospital. [It's] just a thanks for taking care of both of us," Collin said.

Collin was a goalie for his soccer team, so he wants to get back to playing soccer. He also likes baseball and basketball, and the family hopes to go see the Buckeyes play in person this fall.

 

http://www.nbc4i.com/story/22769428/young-cancer-patient-beats-michigan

[Vol_Bengal]

 

 

didn't Urban state after he left that part of the reason he left was because of what the culture of the program had become?  Granted, he's in part responsible for it, but I don't think he's ever shied away from the reality of it.

 

He talked a lot about hating what recruiting had become like in the SEC and the things he saw others doing and the things he'd did or would have to potentially do to keep up.

Not sure on that... very well may have been.  I only recall him saying that the pressure to win in the SEC was a 365 day a year job, was affecting his health, and more than he wanted.  But it could have been the other too.

 

I knew the guy was a bit lacking in discipline but what has come out lately since NYT, WaPo, SI, et al have started digging is eye opening.  Assistant coach tells Urban that Hernandez and "another player" (who's turned out to be Reggie Nelson) were questioned in relation to a double murder... and, after that brief conversation Urban doesn't think a thing about it until just within the last 2 weeks????  Questioned in a double murder, not a bar fight or something... double murder!!!!  The same Hernandez that 5 months prior punched a bartender / bouncer / whatever in the side of the head hard enough to rupture his eardrum...  a lot of smoke to just ignore it.  In my opinion anyway.

[oldschooler]

Meyer has as much to do with Hernandez's situation as I do for Kim Kardashian having a baby.

[Vol_Bengal]

Meyer has as much to do with Hernandez's situation as I do for Kim Kardashian having a baby.

OK then...

[oldschooler]

OK then...

 
 
 
He was under Belichick the past 3 years. Why go back farther and
blame his College Coach more, or at all? Why not blame Belichick?
Why blame anyone other than Hernandez?
 
 
 
Robert Kraft: Patriots were 'duped' by Aaron Hernandez
 
 
 
 


Urban Meyer addresses Aaron Hernandez drama

[Vol_Bengal]

 
 
He was under Belichick the past 3 years. Why go back farther and
blame his College Coach more, or at all? Why not blame Belichick?
Why blame anyone other than Hernandez?
 
Robert Kraft: Patriots were 'duped' by Aaron Hernandez
Urban Meyer addresses Aaron Hernandez drama

I'm not blaming anybody... just wanted tOSU football fans thoughts.

Hernandez is the straw that broke the camels back but there a lot of others... Janoris Jenkins has said

 

"No doubt, if Coach Meyer were still coaching, I'd still be playing for the Gators," says Jenkins, a star cornerback and a potential first-round draft pick whom Muschamp booted from UF's team after being arrested twice for possession of marijuana during the offseason. "Coach Meyer knows what it takes to win."

Now... marijuana is a minor thing.  But you don't think a player that has assaulted a bartender / bouncer / whatever (he's only been on campus 5 months at this point), been questioned with regard to a double murder, and was in another fight within 7 months of the first deserved any suspension?  Maybe you don't... and that is fine.  If tOSU fan feels the same as you then more power - no sweat.

 

This article more concisely summarizes my thoughts I guess... could Meyer have done anything to change what Hernandez did?  Maybe not, but he didn't try too darn hard either... other than keep him eligible and on the field.

http://mrsec.com/2013/07/blame-game-nope-but-questioning-meyers-running-of-floridas-program-is-fair-game/

 

 

Blame Game? Nope. But Questioning Meyer’s Discipline At Florida Is Fair Game July 8th, 2013 01:00 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Tags: Gators, NCAA, NFL, SEC, UF

 Send This Story To A Friend

It’s one of the oldest and most successful dodges in all the world.  It can be used in various settings from political debates to press conferences, newspaper columns to blogs, and tweets to family arguments.

It’s as simple as this:

 

Person A asks a question.

Person B takes that question, exaggerates it, and then shoots down the exaggeration in an effort to avoid the actual question.

 

And that’s the end of the initial question.  At least in theory.

We bring this up because we’re reading a lot about how former Florida football coach Urban Meyer is being “blamed” for the crimes allegedly committed by former Gator tight end Aaron Hernandez.  Meyer has said it’s “irresponsible” to blame him.  Meyer’s family has taken to Twitter to defend their paterfamilias as well.  Even in-your-face CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel has jumped in to take Meyer’s side and accuse people of “blaming” the UF coach (and/or Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick) for Hernandez’s alleged crimes.

The trouble with all of the blame talk is pretty easy to spot.  Or not spot, as it were.  Meaning: I have not found anyone — at least not anyone who’s ever been handed an actual press credential at some point in their life — who has said Meyer was “responsible” for the death of Odin Lloyd (and possibly others).

Not one serious column or opinion piece has claimed that Lloyd (and possibly others) would be alive today if Meyer had handled things differently with his former star tight end.

I have seen people ask what the hell kind of ship Meyer was running while in Gainesville.  But that’s been going on since Meyer was actually running said ship in said city.  When you have 31 players arrested between 2005 and 2010 you can expect some questions.  When the majority of those players don’t miss serious playing time, you can expect even more queries.

I personally pointed out on June 27th that — in my opinion — from a disciplinary standpoint it sure looked like Meyer had more interest in keeping his players on the field than in teaching them life lessons.  I called that “enabling.”  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun quickly responded that Meyer had held Bible study sessions with none other than Hernandez right in the coach’s very own domicile.  Why, at that point I almost felt bad about questioning the Gators’ discipline under Meyer.

But then I remembered that love, hugs and Bible studies can also be provided for suspended players, too.  And when a player fails multiple drug tests, is arrested in a bar fight at age 17, and is questioned as part of an investigation into a shooting — call me crazy — but a meaningful suspension from football might be in order.

At Florida under Meyer, that wasn’t the case for Hernandez.  Now, he did have to sit out one game as part of the school’s official drug policy, but as I pointed out in this site’s previous column on the topic, Meyer didn’t want anyone to even know that his guy had been suspended.  Rather than admit that Hernandez had broken an unspecified team rule, Meyer claimed that Hernandez just hadn’t gotten himself ready to play that week.

Folks, look up “players’ coach” in the dictionary and you’ll find a photo of the ex-UF and current Ohio State head coach smiling back at you.

But is writing any of that actually blaming Meyer for what happened with Hernandez a few years later in Massachusetts?  I don’t think so.  I think it’s stating that Meyer liked to spare the rod on the disciplinary front.  I think it’s questioning — questioning, mind you — whether that tack is the best approach to take when dealing with repeat offenders, of which there were several at Florida under the Meyer regime.

To suggest that asking questions about Meyer’s tenure at Florida is blaming him for Hernandez’s actions later in life is an exaggeration that simplifies and misrepresents what I and so many others are now writing.  (See: The beginning of this column.)

This is a site that has covered the Southeastern Conference objectively for five years.  Hernandez played at an SEC school under a coach who had a reputation for looking the other way when his players got into trouble.  I can assure you, I would have written the same things had Hernandez gotten into his current mess after playing for any other SEC coach whose program had been the subject of so many off-the-field scrapes with so little punishment handed out in response.

It’s not unfair in the least to question what a coach knew about his players’ activities and how he responded to them.  Did the coach use a look-the-other-way policy to keep his players on the field?  See?  That’s a fair question.  Here’s another: Did the coach try to teach his players right from wrong by taking away the one and only currency that matters to NFL wannabes at big-time programs — playing time?

 

I’m not even talking about dismissal from the team here (though in some cases at Florida such punishment appeared warranted).  To dismiss a player is to throw him out and not provide any further help for him.  Perhaps Meyer was heartsick over the prospect of doling out such a harsh punishment.  Fine.  Then go the softer route and take away some game time.  But at least make it real game time.

Want to get a kid’s attention, let him practice with his teammates for three straight weeks and then sit out for three consecutive Saturdays.  Opportunities to win over pro scouts and star on national television would be lost.  That is a punishment that would likely get an athlete’s attention.  That might help teach a young man that there are consequences for bad behavior.

Meyer, more often than not, chose not to go that route.  Instead, he’d hand out a one-game suspension against a tomato can, lie to the media and fans about the real reason behind a player’s disappearance, and then — perhaps — invite the kid over to read the Good Book.

There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but I wouldn’t count on it to make up for the former.

The MrSEC.com story from the 27th was headlined: “Hernandez Gun Photo Punctuates Meyer’s Shameful Disciplinary Record At UF.”  In case you haven’t been keeping up, everyone from The New York Times to ProFootballTalk.com has indeed been taking a look back at Meyer’s record at Florida and asking what he knew, when he knew it, and how he reacted to it.  Columnists across the nation have pointed out — as we did back on the 27th — that Meyer also let Chris Rainey back on his Gator team after that star player sent a threatening text to an ex-girlfriend.  Rainey was later released from his NFL contract by the Pittsburgh Steelers after he was arrested for slapping a girlfriend.  The famous quote from Janoris Jenkins — a star corner who was booted by Will Muschamp for repeated off-field incidents — has also popped up time and again in national pieces: “If Coach Meyer were still coaching, I’d still be playing for the Gators.  Coach Meyer knows what it takes to win.”

Hey, that’s not the media talking, that’s one of Meyer’s own.

Dooley’s column claimed that “Meyer tried to point Hernandez on (the) right path.”  Does anyone doubt that?  Of course he wanted Hernandez to straighten up and succeed in life.  But did he go about aiding Hernandez in the best way possible or did he try to help the player in a way that would keep him on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium?  Were a one-game, school-mandated, let’s-not-call-it-a-suspension suspension and some Bible study sessions really going to turn around a kid who’d already had numerous off-field issues?

Sorry, but those are fair questions.  Matter of fact, is there anyone out there who doesn’t think Meyer has probably asked himself, “Could I have done more?” since Hernandez’s arrest?  He’s not inhuman.  He’s not evil.  And he’s not to blame for another man’s actions.

But Meyer’s not been much of a disciplinarian, either.  And whether the nice guy approach works best when it comes to troubled players like Hernandez is the question… and it’s a fair one.

[oldschooler]

I'm not blaming anybody... just wanted tOSU football fans thoughts.

Hernandez is the straw that broke the camels back but there a lot of others... Janoris Jenkins has said

Now... marijuana is a minor thing.  But you don't think a player that has assaulted a bartender / bouncer / whatever (he's only been on campus 5 months at this point), been questioned with regard to a double murder, and was in another fight within 7 months of the first deserved any suspension?  Maybe you don't... and that is fine.  If tOSU fan feels the same as you then more power - no sweat.

 

This article more concisely summarizes my thoughts I guess... could Meyer have done anything to change what Hernandez did?  Maybe not, but he didn't try too darn hard either... other than keep him eligible and on the field.

http://mrsec.com/2013/07/blame-game-nope-but-questioning-meyers-running-of-floridas-program-is-fair-game/

 

 

 

 

Holy fuck you're stretching things. 

 

Bob Kraft handed Hernandez a $40 million extension less than a year ago.

Bill Belichick has been Hernandez's Coach for as long as Meyer was and more recent.

Yet, we should blame Meyer for the actions of a player he hasn't Coached since 2009?

 

Blaming Meyer for Hernandez's actions while he was his Coach makes sense.

Blaming him 4 years later, after Meyer had helped Hernandez attain his dream of

playing in the NFL? Asinine. Like I said, Kraft and Belichick are more to blame than Meyer.

But I don't blame them for Hernandez's actions and decisions either. 

[Vol_Bengal]

 

 

 

Holy fuck you're stretching things. 

 

But I don't blame them for Hernandez's actions and decisions either. 

Good gawd man... can you not read?  I very clearly stated that I don't blame Urban Meyer for what Hernandez did.

 

Do I think he could and should have done more to try and "send a message"?  Yes I do.  A college coach has A HELL OF A LOT more leeway and control over a player than an NFL team does.  Game suspensions, etc.

 

But, really don't want to argue over it - was just wanting Buckeye fan thoughts was all.  Didn't know how the fans felt at this point.  I assume most are of your opinion  - now I know.  Good day!

[oldschooler]

Good gawd man... can you not read?  I very clearly stated that I don't blame Urban Meyer for what Hernandez did.

 

Do I think he could and should have done more to try and "send a message"?  Yes I do.  A college coach has A HELL OF A LOT more leeway and control over a player than an NFL team does.  Game suspensions, etc.

 

But, really don't want to argue over it - was just wanting Buckeye fan thoughts was all.  Didn't know how the fans felt at this point.  I assume most are of your opinion  - now I know.  Good day!

 

 

 

Yes I can read. You didn't jump in an Ohio State thread to talk about Hernandez because

you merely wanted to know what Buckeye fans thought. I mean, Hernandez didn't play

for Ohio State. So what's the connection other than our Coach? So you are asking

is Meyer to blame? Because it looks to me like you are making a case for blaming him.

 

 

I don't fault Meyer at all. Why would I? Because he didn't drop a hammer on Hernandez at Florida? 

Maybe Hernandez would have turned into a murderer sooner, or even a serial killer had Meyer 

taken football away from him? 

[Jason]

Four guys did an All OSU Draft as part of ESPNs All Time Drafts.

 

Those 4 teams had some pretty impressive talent.

 

http://espn.go.com/colleges/osu/notebook/_/page/osualltimefantasydraft

[oldschooler]

July 13, 2013 · 9:06 pm

 

The Truth About Aaron Hernandez and Urban Meyer

What happened at Florida? Not what some of the media has been reporting. Written by somebody who observed the Gator program from the inside for an entire season.

 

By BUDDY MARTIN

 

Go ahead – throw tomatoes at me. Call me a “homer.” You’ve got your mind made up about Urban Meyer and nothing I write is going to change that.

 

Let me try, anyway.

 

I saw Urban Meyer’s Florida football program from the inside for an entire season. Between the Gators’ two national championships, while writing his authorized biography, Urban’s Way, I was granted unparalleled access for a journalist.

 

I attended coaches meetings; observed dozens of closed practices; ate meals with the team, including during Family Night; rode the bus to the stadium with the team; ran through the tunnel on to Florida Field; sat inside the lockerroom during halftime, pre-game and post-game sessions; listened on the headsets as plays were called; conducted one-on-one interviews with every coach and several dozen players; and spoke off the record with school authorities about the off-field problems of every player who had been in trouble with the coaching staff or the law.

 

Like at almost all other programs, there were some issues with athletes at Florida. I wrote in the book about 17 players who had brushes with the law – most of them driving violations, suspended licenses, substance abuse or alcohol related incidents, or fights. There was only one case of a firearm which a player shot in the parking lot of bar, for which he was arrested, charged and dismissed from the team.

 

And before you ask, no, I wasn’t asked to pull any punches in the more than 130,000-word narrative published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press in 2008.

 

As a condition, I did sign a confidentiality agreement, which I continue to honor. Only now, however, after the recent Aaron Hernandez scandal, do I come forward with some of this information.

 

So if Urban Meyer is undergoing Trial by Media, what are the charges? That he harbored the criminals? That he knowingly coddled renegade athletes and looked the other way at their indiscretions? Or that he was loose with facts about his intentions to leave the job at Florida and therefore hypocritically portrayed his program as clean when it was overrun by the criminal element? To the well-informed those charges are almost laughable.

 

If Meyer was harboring criminals or hiding axe murderers in helmets and pads, I must have overlooked them.

 

Now Meyer is being characterized by some critics as someone who recruited troubled players and allowed them to run amok – not at all what I saw or heard.

 

As a matter of fact, the “30” which is often used to define the Meyer as the number of players who had been arrested was not even the most in the SEC. That distinguished achievement belonged to Georgia.

 

There was this huge controversy over how Meyer left Florida for Ohio State, which some critics have tried to lump together with his Aaron Hernandez connection as Acts One and Two of a morality play. But if there was a conspiracy to fleece The Gator Nation and play a Jedi Mind Trick on the fans by pulling off a disappearing act from Gainesville, I’m sorry – I totally missed it, too.

 

How I know? I lived in his world for almost 12 months.

 

*     *     *

 

I was in the Meyer’s residence on numerous occasions and their lake home several more times. I went with the coaching staff to Longboat Key and cruised Tampa Bay on two occasions. And I was in contact with Urban on a regular basis.

 

Bitter fans and a few hardheaded columnists will continue to portray him as Jesse James and Benedict Arnold. But I can tell you first-hand that the Urban Meyer they claim to know is not the one I befriended starting in 2007.

 

Neither was he Al Capone.

 

Some suggest it was a promiscuous atmosphere around Meyer’s program which led to one of his former players becoming a major suspect in one or more murders.

 

I would not characterize Meyer’s program as “renegade” or “permissive.” In fact, I venture to say he and his coaches spent more time mentoring/babysitting their athletes than any coaching staff I’ve ever known.

 

This is not to deny Hernandez got in trouble at Florida. Some bloggers have implied that Hernandez failed multiple drug tests at UF – as many as nine – but Meyer and other insiders I spoke with say that’s grossly exaggerated. The records are sealed.

 

The Orlando Sentinel reported that Hernandez was among several Florida Gators questioned after Corey Smith was shot in the head at about 2:20 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2007, while driving a Crown Victoria past 1250 W. University Avenue.

 

According to the Orlando newspaper: “Two men were shot, including one in the head, prompting Gainesville police to categorize the incident as an attempted homicide. No charges have been filed and the case is still considered open.’

 

The man who drove Hernandez to the police station for questioning told me he sat downstairs for six hours awaiting the outcome. Hernandez was told by police they would get back to him. The next time they did, Hernandez had employed the services of prominent defense attorney Huntley Johnson. The Gainesville cops never interrogated Hernandez again.

 

When Urban broke his silence on the Hernandez case recently, he vehemently denied that his former tight end had a long rap sheet or was allowed to operate by a different set of standards as a Gator in Gainesville. When interviewed in Columbus: “He was questioned about being a witness (to a shooting), and he had an argument in a restaurant (in which Hernandez allegedly struck an employee in an argument over an unpaid bill), and he was suspended one game (reportedly for a failed marijuana test). Other than that, he was three years a good player. That was it.”

 

As for the reports that Hernandez failed multiple drug tests?

 

“This is absolutely not true,” said Meyer. “Hernandez was held to the same drug-testing policy as every other player.”

 

*     *     *

 

This is what I learned about how Hernandez got to Florida. He was recruited by an assistant coach from Connecticut, who knew of his checkered past.

 

Meyer balked at recruiting him. Partly because one of his assistant coaches was so passionate about signing Hernandez and partly because he became convinced “the mission” could change him, Meyer recapitulated.

 

Urban brought Hernandez to early morning bible study. He even assigned Aaron as Tebow’s roommate his first year and asked the Pouncey brothers, Mike and Maurkice, to stay close by his side.

 

Does this sound like a man coddling a criminal?

 

Or maybe like Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his celebrated coach Bill Belichick, perhaps Urban Meyer was “duped.”

 

*     *     *

 

I can’t say I really know Hernandez, but numerous times I had been in group with other media when he was interviewed. When I talked to Hernandez one-on-one for the Urban Meyer book, he was very expressive about his strong feeling for his coach.  This is what I wrote:

 

” … As Tebow points out, part of the mission is helping young men get their lives on track. One of those most appreciative is Aaron Hernandez, who came to Florida in January 2006, just after his father had died. He was feeling lost and drifting, ‘headed down the wrong path,’ admitted Hernandez.

 

“I (Hernandez) had a little emptiness in me. He (Meyer) kind of filled it—a father figure, someone I could look up to,” said the junior tight end from Connecticut. “He was always there for me. Even when I made bad decisions, he always took me through them and taught me the right direction. And he showed me the love I needed at the right time.”

 

Only now has Hernandez come to understand why Urban Meyer was so hard on him for not paying attention to studies, or doing the wrong things off the field.

 

“He always wants the best for his players. Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t like you. He knows how to play mind games with you to make you reach your potential. Not many coaches in this world really care about their players. He cares about his players. Wants the best for them. Wants them to have a great education. Wants them to do stuff out of football once they’re done. He and I have a bond. I love him as a father figure as well as a coach.”

 

*     *     *

 

As to the inference that Meyer coddled the criminal element, it is true that his home was open to many players who often came over and swam in the Meyer’s pool, feasted on Shelley Meyer’s cupcakes and enjoyed family activities. Including Hernandez.

 

Would a man allow “criminals” to roam free in his home with his family?

 

Meyer  demanded that all his position coaches “babysit” their players and know everything from their test scores, to their girl friends problems to their after-hours conduct.

 

Maybe Meyer could be charged with being naive enough to think he could help rehabilitate a soul in a Christian-like atmosphere where forgiveness is the underpinning.

 

Those who suggest that players with criminal records were held to a different standard should remember that a Heisman Trophy winner who won a national championship for Auburn was run out of the Florida program. Cam Newton was playing behind Tim Tebow when he quit school before he was about to be tossed out.

 

This isn’t to suggest Meyer ran a school for Girl Scouts.

 

Know this about his modus operandi: He will take every permissible competitive edge, but he abhors cheaters.

 

Continuing to recruit players who had verbally committed to other schools before they had signed a grant-in-aid didn’t win him any popularity contest with other coaches.

 

Media members were miffed that he wouldn’t go public with many of the team injuries – and would not comment on them. The Florida coach was accused of masking suspensions by holding out players with minor injuries.

 

This bred an air of suspicion and perhaps led to an assumption that Meyer had manipulated the truth when he quit as coach, came back, then announced his health was forcing him to get out of coaching, which he did for a year when he worked for ESPN as a college football analyst. When Ohio State came calling and Urban said “yes,” the I-told-you-sos lambasted him as a hypocrite and a liar.

 

I can tell you for a fact that Meyer did not orchestrate the Ohio State deal. In the second month of his 2011 season with ESPN, on a weekday, he invited me to come to his home for an off-the-record chat. He was cleared eyed, calm and had put back on about 15 pounds that he had lost due to stress. That day he openly admitted that he wanted to coach again one day but was enjoying broadcasting immensely. “Maybe in a couple of years,” he said of his coaching future.

 

He knew he wanted to coach again, but wasn’t ready to even tell his wife Shelley about it – let alone make a public pronouncement.

 

Meanwhile, he still had an office at the Florida athletic department and was sort of a good will ambassador for the program.

 

At that point, there were still rumors about Joe Paterno, pre-scandal, stepping down and that some alumni had targeted Urban as his successor. Penn State had never been on his so-called short list of coaching jobs, which included Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame.

 

*     *     *

 

In the end, all the legal hassles and problematic behavior of his athletes began to wear on Meyer.

 

With two national championships under his belt, Meyer had the program on elite status in December 2009. Then the bomb exploded. One of his star defensive players went to the birthday party of a teammate, had too much to drink and was found passed out in his car at a stoplight, motor running. Oddly enough, he wasn’t even known among his teammates as a drinker had rejected a ride from a designated driver.

 

Carlos Dunlap was kicked off the team just five days prior to the Dec. 5 SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama. That Saturday night, had the Gators beaten the Crimson Tide as they had the year before, Meyer had a legitimate shot at becoming the first college coach ever to win three BCS titles in four years. Instead, without Carlos Dunlap as a defender, Nick Saban’s team ran roughshod over the Gators, 32-13, and went on to win the national title. Maybe Dunlap’s presence would have altered that outcome, maybe not. But it certainly had a huge negative impact on the team and the coach.

 

Later that same night, Meyer fell out of bed clutching his chest and his wife called 911. He was hauled away in an ambulance thinking he was having a heart attack. A few days later he resigned. When he tried to come back, it was never the same. He left behind a legacy of 65 wins, 15 losses as the school’s winningest coach, plus two SEC trophies and a pair of crystal mementoes.

 

*     *     *

 

The real morality play about evil vs. good is still playing out among the triumvirate of Urban Meyer, Tim Tebow and Aaron Hernandez. Little revelations here and there add up to an intriguing scenario about three men who came together on a football field to perform remarkable athletic accomplishments, but are now miles apart in geography and ethical forensics.

 

After being bashed by those who charged Meyer with a coverup of Hernandez’s alleged criminal conduct at Florida, the Ohio State coach broke his silence in an interview with Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch. He explained why he chosen to so:

 

“Whenever someone attacks your character, our staff — people aren’t aware of all the things we do in terms of being a mentor, dealing with issues and all that. Yeah, I have been avoiding talking about this because you’re talking about a serious crime; you’re talking about families that have been very affected by this. And to pull something back personal that isn’t true from four to seven years ago, that’s mind-boggling to me.”

 

Tebow has yet to weigh in on Hernandez. A story recently characterized the quarterback as a willing participant in an attempt to rehabilitate Hernandez who went as far as to try and extricate his teammate from a barroom incident in which he punched somebody.

 

Squeaky clean Tebow in a bar? “Yes,” so the joke now goes. “He was there to bless the wine.”

 

So powerful has Tebow’s living testimony been that even troubled stars like Daryl Strawberry have embraced his virtue.

 

“I look at Tebow. He gets bashed because of his faith. Let ‘em laugh. Let ‘em talk. He’s a greater man than anyone who might be greater than him as an athlete. He’s a real man,” Strawberry recently said in an interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

 

The fact is that not even one of the most revered athletes in college football history who wore his faith on his sleeves and his eye black could not reverse the ill-fated fortune of someone accused of such heinous crimes as mob-style execution.

 

So why couldn’t Meyer and Tebow change Hernandez? Insiders say if he’d been able to play for the 49ers or Cowboys or Packers and avoided going back to his old neighborhood maybe there would have been a shot, so to speak. Meyer talked about that in the Dispatch article.

 

“At the end of the day, there is free will,” said Meyer. “You can’t change people. You can set the table and try to help them, make sure there is a spiritual component in their life, make sure there is a family atmosphere. And that’s what we try to do — it’s what we’ve tried to do everywhere.”

 

In a poignant commentary for FoxSports.com, columnist Jason Whitlock blamed the conduct of Hernandez and other criminals in sports on a diseased culture, saying he was “a natural byproduct” of a group that glamorizes the prison/gangster/hip-hop lifestyle and has “installed Tony Soprano as America’s most celebrated icon above Joe Montana.” Whitlock, who is African-American, went on to say that rapper/agent Jay-Z was “this generation’s Babe Ruth and Beyonce (his wife) is Marilyn Monroe.” He suggested that those so-inclined athletes favor the image of Soprano’s loose-cannon nephew Christopher Moltisanti over LeBron James.

 

*     *     *

 

In his first season at Ohio State, Meyer led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 season although they were ineligible for the post-season. His OSU team is already ranked as one of the favorites to win everything this fall.

 

Meanwhile, some people seem to want to portray Meyer as the villain — and I don’t mean the fans at Michigan or Alabama. His biggest battle seems to be not against the Big Ten rivals, but against the perception that he fostered an environment that bred the likes of Aaron Hernandez.

 

In the end, as suggested by Whitlock, perhaps it is the glamorization of evil icons in a drug-idolizing American culture which has stacked the deck against the Meyers and the Tebows of the world.

 

 

 

 

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