"Talk of the Town": Charlie Strong, you let me down

[O-town Gator]

Sorry folks, but after hearing about Vance Bedford leaving us to go to Louisville and possibly Kenny Carter leaving to join Charlie Strong up there with him, I have to rant.

Why, you ask? BECAUSE - Strong made a promise to UF that he would not try to poach any of our verbal recruiting commitments OR any of our assistant staff once he accepted the head coaching position with the Cardinals; the latter of which he didn't uphold. This makes me angry.

Coach Meyer is one who values personal relationships he makes and doesn't seem to me as the type who would ever burn his bridges behind him, and as far as I'm concerned what Strong did seems like a double-cross to me. Meyer expects his players to be honest and forthright with him per the team core values he's implemented, and the same concept of honesty and integrity should apply to his assistants as well.

Strong was retained by Meyer back in 2005, in part, because of his longtime experience with Florida football and, according to what I had read in Buddy Martin's book "Urban's Way" to be a bit of a calming force to our players, some who were still upset over the Zook firing. If there was one way to try and maintain some semblance of team unity and prevent mutiny, this decision of Meyer's was to serve that purpose. But to do this to his former boss after all he's been through lately seems like a slap in the face - if there's anything Urban doesn't need right now, it's more issues to deal with that are distressing.

Best of luck to you in The Ville, Charlie - but if you're ever having aspirations about coming back to the Gators, after this took place I for one would not wish you back.

 

[Leakfan12]

So if Strong has a successful tenure at Louisville you wouldn't want him back? Hey loyalty is important however it doesn't win games and quickly which is want a number of fans, AD's, students, want. I understand if he don't hire the best people than he think he won't last as long as Kragthrope. Heck Probably not the best idea to listen and believe to college coaches like Satan (I mean Saban), Kelly, Petrino, Spurrier, Zook, the list goes on. Also I would rather lose recruiters to Louisville than FSU.

 

[O-town Gator]

So if Strong has a successful tenure at Louisville you wouldn't want him back? Hey loyalty is important however it doesn't win games and quickly which is want a number of fans, AD's, students, want. I understand if he don't hire the best people than he think he won't last as long as Kragthrope. Heck Probably not the best idea to listen and believe to college coaches like Satan (I mean Saban), Kelly, Petrino, Spurrier, Zook, the list goes on. Also I would rather lose recruiters to Louisville than FSU.

That's not the point. You don't go making a promise like that to somebody and fall back on your word. It's about having a sense of honor as well as showing some degree of respect and loyalty to the program that gave him so much and did so much to enhance his career, and Strong failed to keep that one promise that he made publicly.