Are the Florida gators the new"u-Thug"?

[J-ville Gator]

Alabama has had only eight incidents over the last four years. Compare that to Florida's 24?

That is exactly the point, you call us "SPUAT (Scandal Plagued Univ. of Alabama at Tuscalooser)"

Yet, Florida has 4 times the arrest rate. That is perception and that is why I am pointing this out. The media make people think Alabama has problems while teams like Florida get a free pass?

Why is that? Why do people think Alabama has problems when Florida has four times the problems and up until now, nothing has been reported?

Thanks for helping me make that point...

Spin it all you want. You are the one on a GATOR board seeking validation. Insecure is what is seeping from your posts. Since you obviously have plenty of time on your hands, how about looking at the ones arrested and see if Bammer also recruited them. I'm willing to say it's a safe bet that 90% were also rectuited by bammer. Spin, spin spin....seek validation.

 

[Escambia94]

I am not trying to excuse the Gators' behavior, but throughout history we have seen the number of arrests go up with the number of wins on an athletic team. There are many theories, but just look at the numbers--Nebraska in the mid 1990s, Colorado in the early 1990s, FSU in the late 1990s, etc. I would imagine that if the Internet were around back in those days, you would see a similar correlation amongst wins, arrests, and forum bashings on other peoples' teams.

That being said, does this happen because, as the media says, we turn a blind eye to winning sports teams? Does this happen because it takes athletes who are rough around the edges to win championships? Does winning draw more attention?

Division I athletes tend to get in a lot of trouble, regardless of whether they are winning. The difference is that they make front page if the team is in the headlines for winning. When seventeen players from Ohio were arrested simultaneously, no one cared--how many games does Ohio win against schools not named Kent State? Sure, they made headlines because it was SEVENTEEN arrests at once! How about 31 in Rhode Island? Yes, they are Division I, but who cares?

I'll start worrying about the Gator arrests when the NCAA starts worrying about overall arrests. Like many other fans, I will care even less if my team is winning. I laugh at any sports fans that try to take the moral high ground with "my team has fewer arrests than yours...and fewer wins."

 

[Yellowhammer]

Florida and Alabama do recruit many of the same players, so why is the arrest rate so different at Florida?

Response?

 

[O-town Gator]

The media make people think Alabama has problems while teams like Florida get a free pass?

nothing has been reported?

WHY are you so obsessed with the stinking MEDIA, for crying out loud?

WHY does the media have to know EVERYTHING that happens concerning Florida football? You know, the media won't be happy until they know the exact time and how frequently Urban Meyer heads to the little boy's room - and leave it to some jock-sniffing hack to stir up controversy about that, too. The media causes more trouble then they know, and don't tell me that they don't have a clear motive for doing what they do - if you can't see that, you're a fool.

If matters are handled internally by the UF football staff, then they're none of the media's dadgum business.

 

[O-town Gator]

I'll start worrying about the Gator arrests when the NCAA starts worrying about overall arrests. Like many other fans, I will care even less if my team is winning. I laugh at any sports fans that try to take the moral high ground with "my team has fewer arrests than yours...and fewer wins."

I concur. Trying to find any school that hasn't had student-athletes arrested is like trying to find a white elephant.

 

[J-ville Gator]

Florida and Alabama do recruit many of the same players, so why is the arrest rate so different at Florida?

Response?

We don't cover up ours. The GPD is not on the payroll like the bammers (good ol boy network). Look, I don't like it one bit, but for you to come on here and act all holier than thou is just pathetic and futher proof that you are seeking validation.

I've got quite a few friends that Bama fans/alumns. and not one act the way you do. How old are you, 12? See, the point you ACTUALLY ARE MISSING, is the way Meyer handles it.

 

[MahxFahn]

J-ville the problem with franklin...... I mean "NOBBLING franklin"
is that he comes up with a topic then he tries to justify it after more sober and mature viewpoints are presented. The same way he did on one of his previous posts with the topic.....
Should women be allowed to attend College Football games/
His main objective I feel is just to get his hit-count up on bleacherreport. I wouldn't mind except that his line of thinking is a bit callow as evidenced by 98% of his posts here and all of those point back to his byline on bleacherreport.

 

[leakbrewergator]

Alabama has had only eight incidents over the last four years. Compare that to Florida's 24?

That is exactly the point, you call us "SPUAT (Scandal Plagued Univ. of Alabama at Tuscalooser)"

Yet, Florida has 4 times the arrest rate. That is perception and that is why I am pointing this out. The media make people think Alabama has problems while teams like Florida get a free pass?

Why is that? Why do people think Alabama has problems when Florida has four times the problems and up until now, nothing has been reported?

Thanks for helping me make that point...

It might have smething to do with the fact that most of our arrests are along the lines of "resisting arrest w/out violence, possession of cannibus, or underage drinking." While 'Bama's arrests include, "felony possession of narcotics w/ intent to distribute."

 

[J-ville Gator]

Mahx, the guy's charlatanistic ways are abundant. That is typical when someone seeks validation in the way he has. It's really a low self esteem issue with this guy which if he doesn't seek help soon, will turn into a severe case of clinical depression.

 

[MahxFahn]

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[Yellowhammer]

There are several possibilities to why this is happening at Florida...

(1) Florida is the only school recruiting athletes that can't behave?

(2) Everybody has these kids and Florida is the only one that can't control them?

(3) Every other school is covering it up with the help of the local police?

The bottom line is, if there is a problem is should be reported, not ignored.

If there is a bias it should be exposed.

If there are people in the media with agendas, they need to be called out.

 

[O-town Gator]

There are several possibilities to why this is happening at Florida...

(1) Florida is the only school recruiting athletes that can't behave?

(2) Everybody has these kids and Florida is the only one that can't control them?

(3) Every other school is covering it up with the help of the local police?

The bottom line is, if there is a problem is should be reported, not ignored.

If there is a bias it should be exposed.

If there are people in the media with agendas, they need to be called out.

No, if there is a problem it should be handled INTERNALLY by the Florida coaching staff and NOT turned into a media circus.

And NO, Florida doesn't stand alone as far as dealing with miscreant players - other schools have kids on their roster who've been arrested for misdeeds, and that includes others in the SEC - but YOU seem to want to single out Florida and Florida only - probably because you belong to the fanbase of a rival school. That's not difficult to figure out.

And another thing - people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Alabama's arrest record under Nick Saban hasn't exactly been that peachy-keen since he's been in Tuscaloosa, either.

There are some readers/listeners wise enough to call out the media when they make their motive clear or show any hints of malcontent, but that doesn't stop them. It'll likely take a lawsuit or two to finally convince the media that the joke's on them - and I would just love to see a school do just that. Maybe that's what it'll take for them to start conducting themselves with a sense of tact and integrity.

 

[MahxFahn]

There are several possibilities to why this is happening at Florida..................

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[Escambia94]

The answer is that the Florida Gators are just good at everything--football, baseball, softball, chess, Dance Dance Revolution, and getting arrested. Is that the answer you're looking for? How about this one--Florida is being singled out by "the Man", but Alabama is not. How about this one--somehow a couple fans on a forum happen to know exactly why UF has more arrests than Alabama but we are being mean and not divulging that information.

Seriously, I am willing to admit that Florida probably does have discipline problems, just like all the other large programs. Who knows if it is worse under UM, or if the limelight is brighter under UM and it just appears worse? Alabama has gone through periods with a lot of arrests as well. Are we to assume that just because UF had 20-something arrests in 3 years versus UA's dozen in 3 years that UA is better than UF? You can follow that line of logic if you want, but none of us are criminologists who can definitively say that one school or another is truly a Thug U. The point here is that college athletes are not saints. Trying to quantify which school is more thuggish than another is a silly argument. UF will continue to get negative headlines from the media until all 100 players on the roster are saints like Tim Tebow. Maybe.

Another option to consider is that UF is more open to the media now under UM than it was under SOS or the Zooker. More accurately, the University as a whole has been more open under the school president, Bernie Machen, than it was under Charles Young. I arrived at UF the same time as Dr. Machen, and was told that he is more open to the media, and holds his athletic departments more accountable to the media (assuming the media is some official jury). Contrast that to Dr. Young who took over after UF was stripped of its SEC crown in the late 90s and seemed to be more concerned with laying low--maybe he wanted to keep arrests quiet. Under the current president and current athletic director and current head coach, you are going to hear about pretty much every single arrest. (Yeah, I am sure some troubles are kept under wraps--athletes are not saints, and neither are politicians or coaches.)

 

[O-town Gator]

Somebody turn on the light in the bathroom; this one's about to make me heave: http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/11820284/rss

All right, time for some more of my "Talk of the Town":

I'm not surprised one bit that this whole episode involving Janoris Jenkins gets blown out of proportion, kindless of rival fans who can't mind their own business, those who subscribe to the "success breeds contempt" school, these blowhards in the media and the few self-righteous goody-two-shoe types in our fanbase who are raking Coach Meyer over the coals because of it.

As I've said before, Jenkins got involved in a dumb macho fight - no more, no less. What he and his teammates should have done was bolt from that nightclub at the least inkling of trouble; instead, they couldn't let things roll off their backs and did something stupid by getting into a fight. And if Jenkins thought losing something as material as a neckchain was worth fighting over, then he's an even bigger imbecile for stooping that low.

Before Doyel and others should be so quick to play judge, jury and executioner, they need to stop and look at the big picture. I'll go on record as saying that Meyer shouldn't have been as passive as he's been in dealing with the misdemeanors, but I will say that in the instances that any of the team's core values have been violated (tell the truth, no violence directed towards women, no drugs, no stealing, no weapons) he's acted accordingly - cases in point Ronnie Wilson, Jamar Hornsby, the late Avery Atkins, Jacques Rickerson, and Cam Newton, who are no longer part of our team - in those instances Meyer has held true to his word. However, certain drug and the alcohol-related instances are dealt with by counseling first and then further action if necessary - that's what happened to Marcus Thomas (although his issues started to surface during the Zook years).

The other occurrences are basically misdemeanors which were poor judgment calls on the part of those involved. Fighting in public and the Animal House-type sandwich episode are more signs of immaturity and idiocy as opposed to thuggery; that's why I feel the need to call that "UThug" label too harsh and fringing on the side of smack talk.

Nobody can tell me that underage consumption of alcohol, smoking weed, and other general misbehavior doesn't take place on your average college campus - to try and refute that fact is silly.

Coach Meyer and our football staff have lectured these guys on what's expected as far as player conduct goes several times already, and they can only hold our players' hands for so long. Granted they are still "kids", but even so, once a person reaches 18 years of age he/she is legally an adult - and is expected by society to behave in a mature, rational, orderly manner. Our football players are no exception to that rule. An adult by that same definition is the captain of his/her own ship and has choices - it's up to him/her to make good choices, NOT have somebody else constantly making those decisions. But should he/she decide to make bad choices, then be ready to suffer the consequences. This is a point that too many are overlooking right now.

All being said, it's time for Coach Meyer to sit these kids down for a more serious talk about conduct. If he needs to start cracking the whip a little more, then so be it - sure it's a shame that those who toe the line are made to suffer on account of those who can't, but at this point in time it's something that needs to be done.

OK, I've said my peace - now time for an adult beverage (don't worry, I'm not driving).

 

[J-ville Gator]

There are several possibilities to why this is happening at Florida...

(1) Florida is the only school recruiting athletes that can't behave?

(2) Everybody has these kids and Florida is the only one that can't control them?

(3) Every other school is covering it up with the help of the local police?

The bottom line is, if there is a problem is should be reported, not ignored.

If there is a bias it should be exposed.

If there are people in the media with agendas, they need to be called out.

Well, well,well........

Rocks---glass houses---and all that

http://www.sportsargumentwiki.com/index.php?title=Fulmer_Cup_Dynasty

 

[leakbrewergator]

I'll take a full team of Janoris Jenkins, Brandon James and Tony Joiners over just one Jimmy Johns any day.

 

[Yellowhammer]

I am beginning to question the intelligence of this group. The question is NOT who is the worst, or the best as far as off the field problems are concerned.

The question is why does the national media focus on some schools and passover others programs miscues?

Here's my theory: I think reporters may be writing and reporting the stories but editors and program directors bury them. They are not doing this in some big plot to harm Alabama or protect Florida, they are doing it because fans love to hate Alabama and love to love Florida.

It could also be that reporters have learned, if I take this story to my boss he is going to bury it, but he loves negative stuff on Tennessee.

So they do it for their ratings. They do it to keep their customers happy. They do it to be successful reporters.

I can just see the wheels turning in the editors/program directors mind, thinking if we run this negative story about Florida our viewers will get mad and stop watching, but if we run the negative story on Alabama they will call their buddies and tell them to tune in.

It's a business decision and IT SHOUND NOT BE!

It should be reported or not reported on an equal basis...

 

[MahxFahn]

 

[Escambia94]

I am beginning to question the intelligence of this group. The question is NOT who is the worst, or the best as far as off the field problems are concerned.

Your other posts did not reflect that this was your issue. You went from saying "Florida is worse than Alabama with its 24 arrests" to "the question is not who is worse".

The question is why does the national media focus on some schools and passover others programs miscues?

We don't control the media. The schools don't control the media. The schools can choose to be more open to the media, but here in the information age it is rather difficult to control the flow of negative publicity. UF has decided to be more open in the past few years, but that does not mean the media would not get wind of arrests through some other means.

Here's my theory: I think reporters may be writing and reporting the stories but editors and program directors bury them. They are not doing this in some big plot to harm Alabama or protect Florida, they are doing it because fans love to hate Alabama and love to love Florida.

I can remember a time when it was the other way around. I can remember times when the media and the public loved Florida, or loved Alabama or loved Auburn, or loved this school or that one.

It could also be that reporters have learned, if I take this story to my boss he is going to bury it, but he loves negative stuff on Tennessee.

So they do it for their ratings. They do it to keep their customers happy. They do it to be successful reporters.

Agreed.

I can just see the wheels turning in the editors/program directors mind, thinking if we run this negative story about Florida our viewers will get mad and stop watching, but if we run the negative story on Alabama they will call their buddies and tell them to tune in.

Somewhat agree. I have seen it go both ways.

It's a business decision and IT SHOUND NOT BE!

It should be reported or not reported on an equal basis...

What do you think this is, a socialist country?

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