Gators say football arrest numbers don't tell everything

[MahxFahn]

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

GAINESVILLE — Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley says the numbers don't tell the whole story.

The statistics say that 20 Florida football players have been charged with 24 crimes since coach Urban Meyer arrived in Gainesville in December 2004........................
"It is really easy to focus on negative issues and negative press," Foley said. "This is part of the world we live in, and we understand this. No one here condones our players stepping out of line, and everyone here wants to get better.

"However, Urban Meyer and his staff are the best that I have seen in modifying behavior and, at the end of the day, the majority of the players who come through this program will make us all proud - and not just because they are good football players."

The 24 arrests have been getting plenty of national attention in the past few weeks so the Gators have gone on the offensive, circulating certain stats to the media:

- Only three Florida arrests have come from the past three recruiting classes.

- Charges were dropped in seven of the 24 cases.

- Fourteen of the 24 player arrests have been from players Meyer did not recruit or were in his first recruiting class.

- Three of the arrests that the media are counting were from players that were already dismissed at the time of arrest.

"This group of players we have now are by and large a pretty good group," Meyer said. "They are 18-to-22 years old and, like most young people, they are trying to find their way."

While the arrest numbers are troubling, few arrests have been serious in nature.

More on this HERE

 

[O-town Gator]

Yeah, and GEORGIA has had 30 player arrests over the past four years - where's the media uproar over that, and why isn't Mark Richt being raked over the coals?

Something stinks to high heaven.

 

[MahxFahn]

Just another case of GATOR ENVY!

 

[O-town Gator]

"Meyer said that while he is disappointed in the number of incidents, his biggest concern is preventing repeat behavior.

"It is a continual part of our program to mentor and guide our players, and it is not an exact process," Meyer said. "Although we have been very successful with most, we are by no means perfect. We are disappointed when we encounter some issues along the way, but we are going to continue to educate and teach our players."

At least he knows there is a problem, and has plans to rectify it - but try to convince the media morons of that same thing.

Jesse Palmer also said the following, which is a very good point: "(Urban) can't be out at the clubs at 1 a.m. monitoring these guys," said Palmer, now an ESPN football analyst "I think it's an internal accountability issue where these players might think they are invincible after the national title. Everybody's patting them on the back and you feel like you can do anything." (link: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_uf/2009/06/former-gator-says-invincibility-factor-plays-into-recent-arrests.html)

Our guys need to be held accountable for their actions as well; they're not little children and shouldn't be treated as such - but they need to be aware of the consequences should they break the law or get into any other trouble. ON the other hand, if Coach Meyer needs to tighten the leash a little more in light of what's happened, then so be it - I'd like to see him take more of a zero-tolerance stand than treat minor disciplinary problems lightly.

 

[Escambia94]

We have enough talent to kick off our problem children, but I am not convinced we need to start kicking people off the team just yet. I would hope that the number of arrests out of UM's recruiting class does not climb to match previous classes, but there is only so much you can do as a coach. Personal accountability is great, but UM needs to continue to push his plan for making each coach a mentor and life coach to the players and hope that makes the players want to behave.

 

[J-ville Gator]

We have enough talent to kick off our problem children, but I am not convinced we need to start kicking people off the team just yet. I would hope that the number of arrests out of UM's recruiting class does not climb to match previous classes, but there is only so much you can do as a coach. Personal accountability is great, but UM needs to continue to push his plan for making each coach a mentor and life coach to the players and hope that makes the players want to behave.

Nice pic of Emmitt from the Pensacola Escambia Gators. I'm sure yell-ohhhammer remembers Emmitt.

 

[O-town Gator]

I like what John L. Crawford at the Fernandina Beach News-Leader has to say about this issue:

"The bottom line is that, yes, Florida has had more than its share of lawbreakers since Meyer took over. And yes, this does put a damper on the coach's contention that he recruits only "the top one percent of the one percent." But to call Florida the new "Thug U" would be to say Meyer looks the other way after his players break the law when, in actuality, the coach has done a pretty respectable job of administering discipline.

Maybe Meyer and his staff need to get better at preventative maintenance, if you will, but by no means do they come off as willfully running a dirty program. Does this mean that the arrests are any less embarrassing? Absolutely not. It just puts things in perspective ..."

Link: http://www.fbnewsleader.com/articles/2009/06/11/sports/02john.txt