So it appears Urban Meyer is taking an indefinite leave of absence, with plans of coming back to Florida, maybe next fall, maybe later. He has the right to change his mind. I'm changing my mind, too.
I gave Meyer the benefit of the doubt that he was a man who had decided that family was more important than football and more important than his own plans goals and desires. I won't judge the man because I do not know what it is in his heart. But I do not think that watching from the sidelines or in the living room, all the while knowing that you are once again going to take the reigns soon and all the pressure that that will entail, is any way to restore damage done by stress. Nor does it seem that it is the way to treat your family, who was giddy about "getting Daddy back."
But like I said in my last post, that's just my take on it.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Urban Meyer, good for you...
Twelve hours after hearing that Urban Meyer is resigning as Florida's football coach to take better care of himself and spend more time with his family, I find myself equal parts stunned, saddened and delighted.
And here's the unexpected: My delight has nothing to do with the fact that he won't be roaming the sidelines next season, or that the Gators, who already are going to be decimated by graduation and early departures, just took a big step backward. (Sorry, Gator fans, but you can't lose the best coach in college football and not take a step backward.)
The stunning part is fairly obvious. We were all stunned. He's 45, the best in the business, makes millions, and lives in warm weather. And he's quitting. That qualifies as stunning.
The saddened part also is an easy one: He says he's been having chest pains for a while now, and that the stresses of keeping his program on top were taking a toll on the ticker. No one wants to see someone go out that way. At least I don't.
The delighted part deserves a little more of an explanation. Accepting that Meyer's simple explanation is all there is to the story, these days, is a flimsy and frail limb to be out on. We've seen how often there is more to these stories than what is first reported. But I'm on the limb. I believe him. I believe that the man on top of the college football world decided that his wife and daughters were more important than football. I cannot imagine that if Meyer had no family, he'd still be stepping away from football simply to take care of himself. So by leaving, he's not only saying his daughters and wife are more important than football, he's saying they are more important to him than he is. At least that's my read on it. And I'm delighted by that.
And here's the unexpected: My delight has nothing to do with the fact that he won't be roaming the sidelines next season, or that the Gators, who already are going to be decimated by graduation and early departures, just took a big step backward. (Sorry, Gator fans, but you can't lose the best coach in college football and not take a step backward.)
The stunning part is fairly obvious. We were all stunned. He's 45, the best in the business, makes millions, and lives in warm weather. And he's quitting. That qualifies as stunning.
The saddened part also is an easy one: He says he's been having chest pains for a while now, and that the stresses of keeping his program on top were taking a toll on the ticker. No one wants to see someone go out that way. At least I don't.
The delighted part deserves a little more of an explanation. Accepting that Meyer's simple explanation is all there is to the story, these days, is a flimsy and frail limb to be out on. We've seen how often there is more to these stories than what is first reported. But I'm on the limb. I believe him. I believe that the man on top of the college football world decided that his wife and daughters were more important than football. I cannot imagine that if Meyer had no family, he'd still be stepping away from football simply to take care of himself. So by leaving, he's not only saying his daughters and wife are more important than football, he's saying they are more important to him than he is. At least that's my read on it. And I'm delighted by that.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Nice comment, Paul Johnson
According to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, if a Georgia fan is giving a Tech fan a hard time about the Dawgs beating the Jackets this year, the Tech fan should "hit him in the face."
Really?
"Guy giving you a hard time and you get tired of it, punch him in the face," Johnson said on an Atlanta sports talk show Tuesday.
The comment falls somewhere between sophomoric and moronic. Johnson has a tendency to be a bit prickly, and most will dismiss his comment as being tongue-in-cheek, perhaps even adding some needed fuel to what had become, until last year, a fairly mundane, one-sided rivalry. I think it's probably a glimpse into what's inside the man's heart. Could you imagine Mark Richt saying such a thing? Bobby Bowden? Tony Dungy?
What about Bear Bryant? Bobby Knight? Woody Hayes?
All of those coaches are, or were, successful. But Knight and Hayes ended their careers on somebody else's terms, run off for their bullying ways. And Bryant, legendary for being hard-nosed and ruthless at times, (Remember The Junction Boys?) today, would end up in the same boat as Knight and Hayes.
I don't think leaders of major Div. 1 college football programs -- educators for Pete's sake -- should be so callous with their comments. Is Paul Johnson a big, fat, uneducated bully? Or was he just sounding like one?
Really?
"Guy giving you a hard time and you get tired of it, punch him in the face," Johnson said on an Atlanta sports talk show Tuesday.
The comment falls somewhere between sophomoric and moronic. Johnson has a tendency to be a bit prickly, and most will dismiss his comment as being tongue-in-cheek, perhaps even adding some needed fuel to what had become, until last year, a fairly mundane, one-sided rivalry. I think it's probably a glimpse into what's inside the man's heart. Could you imagine Mark Richt saying such a thing? Bobby Bowden? Tony Dungy?
What about Bear Bryant? Bobby Knight? Woody Hayes?
All of those coaches are, or were, successful. But Knight and Hayes ended their careers on somebody else's terms, run off for their bullying ways. And Bryant, legendary for being hard-nosed and ruthless at times, (Remember The Junction Boys?) today, would end up in the same boat as Knight and Hayes.
I don't think leaders of major Div. 1 college football programs -- educators for Pete's sake -- should be so callous with their comments. Is Paul Johnson a big, fat, uneducated bully? Or was he just sounding like one?
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