For the first time in his Florida football coaching career, Urban Meyer recently announced that he was closing practice to the media for a full season.
That decision led to massive confusion the last 48 hours regarding the status of highly-touted freshman Gator football players Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley after they apparently boycotted practice Tuesday.
Late Wednesday, the GAINESVILLE SUN reported:
Starting quarterback John Brantley was the only UF player made available to the media Wednesday. He said he’d heard the rumor about Powell and Easley (skipping practice) earlier in the morning.
When asked if he knew whether Powell and Easley had practiced Tuesday, Brantley said, “I do not. I’ve heard those rumors from people, but that’s the coaches’ deal. They take care of that behind closed doors.”
So the team’s starting quarterback doesn’t know if two players weren’t at practice the day before?
It took the student INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR to get to the bottom of what was actually going on, reporting that Powell and Easley boycotted practice on Tuesday to protest their treatment at the hands of Gator coaches:
Hours after senior Mike Pouncey told the media the freshman class needs to “just shut their mouth and come play,” Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley didn’t come to play at all.
According to a source close to the team, the two freshmen were upset with the way the coaches came down on them during special teams practice Monday and didn’t show up for Tuesday’s practice, as a result.
According to the source, both players threatened to transfer, but nothing has come of that so far.
Powell was the top high school football recruit in the nation last season according to Rivals.com and Easley was a highly-prized defensive tackle recruit. The boycott, which Florida coaches, players and public relations staff are still refusing to confirm, was by no means a surprise to Meyer & Co.
At Florida media day recently, Easley compared himself, Powell and fellow freshman defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd to the Miami Heat’s new superstar trio:
“Ronald Powell is Chris Bosh, Sharrif (Floyd) is Dwyane Wade and I’m LeBron (James),”
Meyer also was critical of the UF freshman on Monday in his comments to the media:
“You have 25 young players — or whatever it is — that think they’re going to dominate the way they did in high school, and they have no idea what’s about to hit them.”
In the aftermath of all the confusion and internet rumors, Florida football fan site OnlyGators.com reported:
When Florida closed practice to fans and the media a few weeks ago, the main reason stated was to keep out “bad guys” and ensure that the players were safe. Just as important in the decision making was Meyer’s desire to rid the team of the distractions, speculation and media pressure that it felt trying to defend its title last season.
As our source put it, if you think Meyer was angry about Jeremy Fowler’s alleged misquote of now-redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson in the Orlando Sentinel last March, you have no idea how fuming mad he is about these false reports.
“He wants the person whose responsible’s head on a stick,” our source said.
9:02 pm on August 25th, 2010
Lebron ruins everything.
9:38 pm on August 25th, 2010
Saban would have immediately kicked those prima donnas off the team. Threatening to transfer? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, big shots! “Teammates” such as these can ruin a team - get rid of ‘em, please.
9:44 pm on August 25th, 2010
F***ing spoiled hoodrat pussies
10:02 pm on August 25th, 2010
These coaches kiss these kids asses continuously to get them to their campus, so it’s no surprise when this kind of stuff happens.
10:24 pm on August 25th, 2010
Univ. of Kentucky will take all 3 of those loud mouths.
Talent is talent and talent wins. They weren’t arrested or caught w/drugs so give em a break they are 18 years old.
1:19 am on August 26th, 2010
To paraphrase the great Sam Rothstein: “Carry ‘em out by their legs and use their fuckin’ heads to open the door”, Urban.
There’s always a better recruit that would kill for their spot on that team.
2:32 am on August 26th, 2010
the UK hoops mantra….
# GravatarGerry D.
10:24 pm on August 25th, 2010
Univ. of Kentucky will take all 3 of those loud mouths.
Talent is talent and talent wins. They weren’t arrested or caught w/drugs so give em a break they are 18 years old.
6:47 am on August 26th, 2010
Meyer is a big pussy. Waaaaaaaaaaaa I got my ass kicked by Bama, I’m going to retire. Waaaaaaaaaaa, agents are bad and I’m goin to close practices. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
6:52 am on August 26th, 2010
the blacks have no place in education
7:45 am on August 26th, 2010
Trouble in paradise?
Urban has always been an uptight a-hole who is a great coach but to let this shit go on!
Come on Urban, who is in charge?
Toss the freshman out!
8:04 am on August 26th, 2010
This is called the “Haynesworth Phenomenon”!
Lazy hood-rat, kids, with a sense of entitlement.
Good luck to Urban, trying to make men out of idiots.
8:39 am on August 26th, 2010
Haha, these are the types of players Herban has been making his living off for years now. Now he’s suddenly surprised that it’s catching up to him? It’s no coincidence that the Gators have been leading the Nation in arrests the last 2-3 years…..
9:22 am on August 26th, 2010
Woody - Saban wouldn’t have kicked them out, he would’ve greased their pockets with some more cash.
9:47 am on August 26th, 2010
Ignorant as dirt much?
[quote]the blacks have no place in education[/quote]
9:59 am on August 26th, 2010
Even little kids get what they want if they have any type of talent man. Its starts when their 6 in the extreme or pop warner leagues all over south florida and this is what you end up with. Kids that think they deserve evrything when they havent earned it.
10:30 am on August 26th, 2010
I’m trying to remember the name of that movie that was out last year or so….
The football players are doing heavy PT, with the coach yelling at them, and one of the guys turns to the new recruit and says something to the effect:
“I’ll bet you’re wondering whatever happened to that nice coach who was in your living room begging you to come play for him….”
11:16 am on August 26th, 2010
these “black” kids are the same ones you idolize, pay big money to see, beg them to come to your school and hope get drafted by your pro team and you’d kiss their asses if they stood in front of you and bent over right now. That’s the truth. I’ve seen it a million times before.
I believe in team and discipline, but only idiots pass judgment without knowing the facts. 95% of these kids are inherently good kids and have the kind of discipline most people can only dream of. People who have never stepped foot on the field or on the court have no idea how difficult it can be fulfilling the role of a full-time student and a full-time, so-called amateur athlete. Coaches cross the line…a lot more often than the public knows.
Being a coach doesn’t make you God. It makes you a guy who likely has some knowledge about a game, a loud mouth, and a whistle.
I’ll give these kids the benefit of the doubt.
11:53 am on August 26th, 2010
Freshman year in college my roomate (230lb LB with skills) was running down on opening kickoff. He got knocked into next week by a 185 DB from USC…joined the ranks of the redshirts the following week.
Hopefully at some point there’s some similar humble pie waiting for this duo…and they eat up.
12:42 pm on August 26th, 2010
Boycott practice because the coaches were “tough” on them??? Hmm, pretty much sums up their race. Going gets tough, sit on your ass and collect a check. These turds have been GIVEN a chance at an education and a possible outlet into a profession that can earn them millions of dollars and secure their families well-being for the forseeable future. And they are concerned about getting yelled at?
I’m sure this will end up being some white guy’s fault.
12:45 pm on August 26th, 2010
Yes, there are some racist tones in my previous post. I’m just so tired of hearing/seeing/reading on how tough the world is on black people (and no, your not african-american….unless you were born in Africa and have applied for dual-citizenship). Take the blinders off and try on the hat of accountability. What a waste.
3:48 pm on August 26th, 2010
” 95% of these kids are inherently good kids and have the kind of discipline most people can only dream of. ”
That is bullcrap.
Throw these pukes out the back door with the rest of the trash.
5:54 pm on August 26th, 2010
Ahhh! I love a good racist comment in the morning. Lets disguise it and just say we are tired of certain behaviors. This has nothing to do with race. And appearently there are a few of you who have passed up on that edumencation thing or should I say that all southerners are racists?
WOW! As a former college athlete, current doctor, and beautiful Black American; I agree with Petros (even though he is a trogan). I don’t condone the behavior but I think all needs to be heard before we pass judgement.
Get real people! cocky athletes? spoiled children who need some humbling? Thats new?
6:40 pm on August 26th, 2010
,, if it were anyone but Meyer, then,,,
Watch Florida sink like the Titanic,, No golden boy to ride off into the sunset, After he abandoned his daughter, UM is lonely.
It seems like coach duchbag can’t handle a little adversity. hmmm , now there’s a great leader,,,,
10:46 pm on August 26th, 2010
I can pretty much guarantee that Pete and bbwrumpbuster never finished college…and probably didn’t finish high school. I hope they realize that being poor and uneducated means that while you are free to express your opinions on a comment board, you have no power and your opinion doesn’t really count….you and your family are just worthless trash…always have been, always will be.
9:28 am on August 27th, 2010
guess meyer and family will be wide awake after week 2…
7:22 pm on August 27th, 2010
bbwrumpbuster wrote
“Yes, there are some racist tones in my previous post. I’m just so tired of hearing/seeing/reading on how tough the world is on black people (and no, your not african-american….unless you were born in Africa and have applied for dual-citizenship). Take the blinders off and try on the hat of accountability. What a waste”
Whaattt? A racist A$$hat on this blog?
Wow! What an uncommon sight to see around here.
10:48 am on August 28th, 2010
“Apparently lost on the reporter’s “source” and Meyer is the fact that closing practice was the precise reason for the ‘false reports.’
Be careful what you wish for, Coach.”
What a stupid conclusion. Meyer closes practice, so the only thing the media can do is print irresponsible, unfounded rumors?
I realize the rumors printed might actually be true, but that’s a separate argument. If they were in fact false, it’s not Meyer’s fault that they were printed. Get a clue.
5:28 pm on August 28th, 2010
This is just a small example of a greater problem in schools and in this country in general. Young people today, especially young athletes, have such a “don’t give a fuck, Ima get mine” attitude. It stems from everyone telling them they’re great from day 1, including the parents, and not getting any criticism or discipline at all. Since society is now hyper sensitive to any and all issues people face, this kids will be supported, despite being the pussies that they’ve shown themselves to be.