Mr2Bits
Gator Fan
Once again, Gator Nation woke up to see another one of our players, this time wide receiver Chris Rainey, have his name inscribed on the Alachua County jail blotter on a third-degree felony charge; aside from the fact that the self-righteous amongst our fanbase turned their soapboxes over and mounted them again to begin ranting at will, this was a distraction that we didn't need right now, especially given the fact that we begin our SEC conference play this Saturday up at Tennessee.
Don't misinterpret me; I'm not in the least bit happy to see another one of our players in trouble with the law, but don't think that Urban Meyer isn't sick and tired of all the player arrests, either - however he doesn't need people in the media such as PTI's Michael Wilbon and Pat Dooley from the Gainesville Sun lecturing him on how much this reflects negatively on our football program by rubbing more salt into the wound. Already Urban has stated that Rainey is not part of the team until this matter can be sorted out, meaning that he's on indefinite suspension - so much for those who insinuate that there's "lack of institutional control" when our staff has been proactive in handling this incident.
Kudos to blogger Jeff Elliott at the <em>Jacksonville Times-Union</em> for displaying some common sense that his fellow media colleagues seem to lack in succinctly stating that these player arrests aren't Urban's fault in a recent article he wrote (a link to which has been posted in the Football forum); if fingers are to be pointed in this recent episode, they should be pointed at none other than Rainey himself. All he needs to do is look at the man in the mirror to see who's accountable for his own misdeeds - same thing applies for Frankie Hammond, Matt Elam, Janoris Jenkins and others who have run afoul of the law during the Meyer Era. They're the captains of their own ships and need to be held accountable for their own personal conduct. We're dealing with young adults here who must be held responsible for the decisions they make off the playing field; we're not dealing with kindergarten kids who haven't yet reached the age of reason knowing right from wrong. We cannot expect our coaches to act <em>in loco parentis</em> and monitor them round the clock; their main priority is to coach this team and have them adequately prepared for gameday. Pointing the finger at the coaches when these guys misbehave is tantamount to "passing the buck" and letting them off easy; when a player breaks the law or violates team rules after he has been made fully aware of what is expected of him, he has nobody to blame but himself - and it's time that the media and some of our fanbase realizes this. Granted we're dealing with college students here who are bound to do foolish things while they're in school, but on the other hand there should be an added sense of responsibility that comes with the <strong>privilege</strong> of wearing that Gator football uniform - note it's NOT an entitlement - and it's a privilege that can be taken away at a moment's notice by Coach Meyer in the event that a player does not perform and/or behave to expectations.
Perhaps it may be time for Urban to say "you better sit down, kids" and once again reiterate the standards of conduct they will be expected to exemplify - or else face the consequences. If this means forfeiture of scholarships or dismissal from the team for the worst transgressors, so be it. If these kids want to be treated like adults and be entrusted with adult privileges, then it's time for them to ACT like adults - no more acting out scenes from the movie "Animal House", no more dumb macho fights, no more irrational decisions where the consumption of alcohol is concerned, adherence to the team's core values (tell the truth, treat women with respect, no stealing, no drugs, no weapons) and no more idiotic stunts that could have been avoided in the first place. If this means that Urban needs to tighten the leash, impose strict curfews and enact other measures until these kids can show a sense of responsibility and maturity, then it's a necessity.
I'd also like to see these guys start watching out for their teammates; the answer must be YES to the question "Am I my brother's keeper?". That being said, I'd like to see each year's Leadership Committee take a more active role in doing what they can to counsel their teammates and possibly prevent adverse behavior.
The <em>Orlando Sentinel</em> may seem to take delight in expounding on the fact that 16.2% of Urban's Gator players have been arrested or faced charges, but in spite of the small number of serious infractions (cases in point involving former players Ronnie Wilson and Jacques Rickerson) the vast majority of these offenses have been for misdemeanors, minor violations or mischief such as the "Sandwich Bandits" caper.
Urban recently made an example of Frankie Hammond by revoking his scholarship following his DUI arrest and conviction; in my opinion he should do the same for Chris Rainey and anybody else getting in trouble with the law from this point forward. Should he take that course of action with Rainey as well as subject the team again to "if one falls, they all fall" in sharing the guilt, perhaps our players will start to take the privilege of being part of this Gator football team more seriously and govern themselves accordingly.
Don't misinterpret me; I'm not in the least bit happy to see another one of our players in trouble with the law, but don't think that Urban Meyer isn't sick and tired of all the player arrests, either - however he doesn't need people in the media such as PTI's Michael Wilbon and Pat Dooley from the Gainesville Sun lecturing him on how much this reflects negatively on our football program by rubbing more salt into the wound. Already Urban has stated that Rainey is not part of the team until this matter can be sorted out, meaning that he's on indefinite suspension - so much for those who insinuate that there's "lack of institutional control" when our staff has been proactive in handling this incident.
Kudos to blogger Jeff Elliott at the <em>Jacksonville Times-Union</em> for displaying some common sense that his fellow media colleagues seem to lack in succinctly stating that these player arrests aren't Urban's fault in a recent article he wrote (a link to which has been posted in the Football forum); if fingers are to be pointed in this recent episode, they should be pointed at none other than Rainey himself. All he needs to do is look at the man in the mirror to see who's accountable for his own misdeeds - same thing applies for Frankie Hammond, Matt Elam, Janoris Jenkins and others who have run afoul of the law during the Meyer Era. They're the captains of their own ships and need to be held accountable for their own personal conduct. We're dealing with young adults here who must be held responsible for the decisions they make off the playing field; we're not dealing with kindergarten kids who haven't yet reached the age of reason knowing right from wrong. We cannot expect our coaches to act <em>in loco parentis</em> and monitor them round the clock; their main priority is to coach this team and have them adequately prepared for gameday. Pointing the finger at the coaches when these guys misbehave is tantamount to "passing the buck" and letting them off easy; when a player breaks the law or violates team rules after he has been made fully aware of what is expected of him, he has nobody to blame but himself - and it's time that the media and some of our fanbase realizes this. Granted we're dealing with college students here who are bound to do foolish things while they're in school, but on the other hand there should be an added sense of responsibility that comes with the <strong>privilege</strong> of wearing that Gator football uniform - note it's NOT an entitlement - and it's a privilege that can be taken away at a moment's notice by Coach Meyer in the event that a player does not perform and/or behave to expectations.
Perhaps it may be time for Urban to say "you better sit down, kids" and once again reiterate the standards of conduct they will be expected to exemplify - or else face the consequences. If this means forfeiture of scholarships or dismissal from the team for the worst transgressors, so be it. If these kids want to be treated like adults and be entrusted with adult privileges, then it's time for them to ACT like adults - no more acting out scenes from the movie "Animal House", no more dumb macho fights, no more irrational decisions where the consumption of alcohol is concerned, adherence to the team's core values (tell the truth, treat women with respect, no stealing, no drugs, no weapons) and no more idiotic stunts that could have been avoided in the first place. If this means that Urban needs to tighten the leash, impose strict curfews and enact other measures until these kids can show a sense of responsibility and maturity, then it's a necessity.
I'd also like to see these guys start watching out for their teammates; the answer must be YES to the question "Am I my brother's keeper?". That being said, I'd like to see each year's Leadership Committee take a more active role in doing what they can to counsel their teammates and possibly prevent adverse behavior.
The <em>Orlando Sentinel</em> may seem to take delight in expounding on the fact that 16.2% of Urban's Gator players have been arrested or faced charges, but in spite of the small number of serious infractions (cases in point involving former players Ronnie Wilson and Jacques Rickerson) the vast majority of these offenses have been for misdemeanors, minor violations or mischief such as the "Sandwich Bandits" caper.
Urban recently made an example of Frankie Hammond by revoking his scholarship following his DUI arrest and conviction; in my opinion he should do the same for Chris Rainey and anybody else getting in trouble with the law from this point forward. Should he take that course of action with Rainey as well as subject the team again to "if one falls, they all fall" in sharing the guilt, perhaps our players will start to take the privilege of being part of this Gator football team more seriously and govern themselves accordingly.
