Meyer wrong–again–in confrontation with reporter
Today’s column was supposed to be about my visit to Gainesville, Fla., on Monday and Tuesday. The topic was going to be the Florida players discussing how disappointing the 13-1 season of 2009 was because of the constant pressure of trying to maintain the No. 1 preseason ranking. I sat down with three Florida players—Ahmad Black, Mike Pouncey, and John Brantley. To a man they agreed that given the lowered expectations and pressure, the 2010 season was going to be a little more relaxed and more fun.
Little did I know that on Wednesday, the day I left, head coach Urban Meyer would REALLY make things fun.
By now I’m sure you’ve read the story and seen the video of Meyer, who has limited his contact with the press this spring, confronting an Orlando Sentinel reporter at practice. When I was at practice on Monday Meyer did not speak to the press after it was over, which is fine. Other players and coaches were made available. But on Wednesday Meyer walked right up to Jeremy Fowler and objected to a quote that wide receiver Deonte Thompson gave on Monday when he was surrounded by several reporters. The question dealt with how the offense would look with John Brantley instead of Tim Tebow as quarterback. Here is the direct quote and again, Thompson said it in front of a group of reporters who all had their tape recorders going: :
“A REAL quarterback.”
Obviously, what Thompson meant was that Brantley is a more CONVENTIONAL drop back quarterback than Tebow, which is also obvious. Life for Florida’s receivers is going to be different with John Brantley as quarterback. It will be more conventional. Everybody in the program agrees that is true.
But in today’s 24/7 news cycle quotes like Thompson’s get picked up in the blogosphere and not everyone puts them into context. Thompson was reportedly upset because he has such a high regard for Tim Tebow and the quote made it look like he was ripping perhaps the most honored player in school history. Meyer’s reaction was to defend this player and so he goes after the source in front of everybody and has his Mike Gundy moment. He threatened to ban the entire newspaper from practice and called Fowler “a bad guy.” Meyer even went so far as to suggest that if Thompson were Meyer’s son, he and the reporter might come to a physical confrontation.
Go here to see the video:
Enough.
I have defended Urban Meyer and bent over backwards to be fair to the man. And let me say that he has always been good to me, personally. But he is flat wrong here. There was a right way and a wrong way to handle this issue and over the last two years, when the media has been involved, Meyer has been pretty tone deaf. The issue was never the quote by Thompson. The issue was the way others outside the program picked up the quote and used it out of context. That is wrong and it is unfair to the kid.
But when that happens, the smart coach doesn’t go after the reporter who quoted the kid CORRECTLY in an attempt to intimidate the rest. You sit down with all the reporters and explain to them that the kid is upset and, if there is any doubt about the context of the quote, Meyer as the head coach provides it in a calm, rational manner. Then the story goes away. But now this story has gone viral and, like Gundy, Meyer will soon be in the YouTube Hall of Fame. Not smart.
Meyer made the same mistake when linebacker Brandon Spikes got caught with his hand inside the face mask of Georgia running back Waushan Ealey last season. By suspending Spikes for only one half, Meyer took what should have been a one-day story and turned it into a four-day story. After the national uproar, Spikes “volunteered” to sit out a whole game. It never should have happened. Somebody should have told Meyer that a half-game suspension was wrong and Meyer should have listened.
The media is so large now that it can’t be controlled. But it can be MANAGED with a little rational thought. Meyer has made it clear that he believes he does not have to manage media as part of his job. And that is certainly his right. But it’s not very smart, and Urban Meyer is a very smart man.
And on this I feel strongly: For Meyer to personalize this issue is not only unprofessional, it is not in keeping with the standards of behavior that are generally accepted in the Southeastern Conference.
Urban Meyer doesn’t need my advice but, if asked, I would tell him this: Given the drama of last December’s “retirement” and then “un-retirement” then “extended leave of absence” by Meyer, an incident like this will get the chattering class talking yet again about Meyer’s overall stability. Is that fair to him? Probably not. But if you don’t want people taking shots at you, why in the world would you hand them a gun and do it for all the world to see?
Please follow me on Twitter:
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
327 comments Add your comment
chc4
March 25th, 2010
11:18 am
Meyer has unusually thin skin.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
11:20 am
Jax doggie, you are right about the Tebow/Meyer comment. I will be glad when the reporters quit asking Brantley questions about Tebow. Let the boy just sling it. He will be a better pro prospect.
Nachos Fan
March 25th, 2010
11:20 am
Doesnt matter what Urban said or does. He will just get spanked again come September in Tuscaloosa. This beat down will be worse than last December in the Dome.
Will
March 25th, 2010
11:22 am
UF and CUM have as much class as my left toe nail. What a bunch of losers. I can’t wait for the beat down those rednecks are going to get this October.
StingerSplash
March 25th, 2010
11:25 am
Sounds like Mr. Fowler could have given young Mr. Thompson an out by allowing him to explain himself better through a follow up question. Instead, he gets this hot quote from a kid and apparently doesn’t sense that maybe the young man could articulate his feelings a little better. Granted, it doesn’t absolve St. Urban from his overbearing manner and utter pomposity. But dude coulda taken some off the grease off the skids for the kid.
Jax Dawg
March 25th, 2010
11:25 am
Ga Gator. John Brantley came out of Kerwin Bell’s sling it around the yard offense in high school. Should remind Gator fan of the Fun-n-Gun days of the 90s.
Gators!
March 25th, 2010
11:30 am
First of all, HERE is the title of the article that Jeremy Fowler wrote: “Florida Gators WR Deonte Thompson sounds happy to usher in post-Tebow era”. That set the tone for the said article. That was soon followed by an article by fellow columnist Mike Bianch that questioned if Thompson had dissed Tebow. Last year, another Sentinel columnist, Andrea Adelson wrote how Meyer was Notre Dame bound and even intimated on a well known radio show in Alabama how there were reports that Meyer had already met with ND boosters in Tennessee (?)…all conjecture and totally unsubstanciated. So there is quite a history here with this Orlando newspaper, going all the way back when Spurrier had his big blow up at Bianchi years ago. They love to sensationalize anything Gators because they know how well it sells in that market.
Brandon
March 25th, 2010
11:31 am
Shouda gouged his eyes out!
Brian
March 25th, 2010
11:34 am
Can someone please explain to me:
1. Why a coach cares what the media writes?
2. Why a coach thinks that it is the media’s job to be a marketing arm of the University?
3. Why coaches think that a media member is there to “support and nourish”?
4. Why do fans insist only on reading “puff and pleasantry” pieces
jealous fans
March 25th, 2010
11:34 am
all you gator and dawg fans just wish you had the cred of a program like Maryland. Go Terps!!!!!
West Coast Bias
March 25th, 2010
11:36 am
I’d be angry at the world too if I had to live in Florida.
TECH SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN SHREVEPORT
March 25th, 2010
11:37 am
THE GUY IS A PRIMA DONNA AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN!!! NOT HARD TO WIN A FLA. HES’ A PUNK.
RetiredSoldier
March 25th, 2010
11:39 am
Urban is a good guy and a great coach. He is also human and in this case made a mistake. I don’t someone to much for sticking up for his players. Hopefully Urban will take that reporter aside and make things right.
Gators win the east and the conference and play for another national championship. Go Gators!
Ben
March 25th, 2010
11:42 am
Egomaniacal control freak goes after a reporter???? File Under: Least surprising story of the year so far. They call him Urban Crier for a reason.
Nacho
March 25th, 2010
11:43 am
Urban needs a little more time off. Not a good situation in Floriday.
Imagine how unstable he would be if Florida had actually lost a few games.
Go Dawgs!
March 25th, 2010
11:44 am
Urban Meyer is a tool!!!
Tide Rising
March 25th, 2010
11:48 am
I think that Gators! put it best. That there is history here. Meyer sounds like he was in the wrong but given the history between florida and this Orlando paper sensationalizing things I can’t really blame Meyer. As a matter of fact I know I’ve read a couple of things from Bianchi at this paper targeted towards Bama that were way off base not to mention just plain wrong. I remember because it struck me as odd that an Orlando paper would be covering Bama and have some potshots thrown in. Looks more and more like a paper that just sensationalizes stuff and Meyer probably just had enough of it.
I would much rather have seen a report on how the gators look in practice since everyone will be shooting for them as “the beast of the east” including us. We pick them up in the regular rotation and possibly in a rematch in the dome if we both win our divisions so this article would have been much more interesting if it had some meat to it as to how the gators are looking in the spring.
Red
March 25th, 2010
11:49 am
Sounds like someone still needs a little time off. Anger management issues? A few more outbursts like this and he’ll be in a hospital again for “dehydration”.
rocketide
March 25th, 2010
11:51 am
Urbie’s acting like a person with a significant psychological problem. He should get therapy.
Brainiac
March 25th, 2010
11:51 am
The reporter gave both sides of the way Thompson’s comments could be taken. All of us have our agendas but if you read the quotes by Thompson and you still have the urge to say something in Meyer’s defense then one of us has a comprehension problem.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
11:55 am
Quite right Jax Dawg. Probably will never happen, but I was wishing Meyer would hire Bell on his staff as QB coach and coordinator. Then when Meyer finally came undone and retired, Bell could become HC which has been his dream since playing there.
gernblanksi
March 25th, 2010
11:55 am
You guys have this all wrong. This confrontation had little to do with defending Thompson or Tebow. It was URBAN at its core. What has been the primary story of the football media in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft? It has been Tebow and his throwing motion. Is Tebow an NFL QB? Did Florida hinder Tebow’s development in the name of wins? Is Urban and his staff good enough coaches to develop Tebow into an NFL QB? Urban (like a lot of us) loves to be in control and he probably loves to be challenged. However, he probably wants to be in control of the challenge. But the 2009 season, his health issues, Tebow and the NFL have illustrated that he cannot ALWAYS control the challenge. So when one of his players makes a comment that in a way verifies what the NFL has been saying about the coaching staff & Tebow, he is concerned about how it will affect his control. His control over this current team. His control for recruiting high level QB’s and NFL quality players. He and his staff are probably fairly upset that they are being portrayed as incapable of revamping Tebow’s NFL skill set.
Tide Rising
March 25th, 2010
11:56 am
One bit of sage advice for Urban. Never pick a fight with a guy who buys his ink by the barrel.
Jax Dawg
March 25th, 2010
11:57 am
They LOVE Kerwin Bell here at Jacksonville University.
Anonymous
March 25th, 2010
11:57 am
There’s a reason the Orlando paper’s nickname is “The SLANTinel!”
SID
March 25th, 2010
11:58 am
this man has some serious issues. There is medication available. However, he fits in well down there.
Brainiac
March 25th, 2010
11:58 am
Meyer doesn’t need to take the reporter off to the side and make things right. He needs to call a press conference and apologize in front of the crowd where he chose to show just how “classy” he is. Of course that won’t happen because he is king in his own mind.
Bama Aaron
March 25th, 2010
11:59 am
Did Meyer make the wrong choice and blow things a little out of proportion? Yes
Is the media doing the same thing by making such a big deal out of Meyer dressing down the reporter? Yes
I’m not a Meyer fan, but I am sick of hearing about members of the media being upset or outraged when someone gives them back what they get. Or when someone has the audacity to tell them to shove it when they keep asking the same stupid questions.
Hoops McCann
March 25th, 2010
11:59 am
Tony, could you pull some strings and get Cynthia Tucker fired. There is no reason that that racist moonbat should have a job at the AJC. Calling all those that disagree with the Health Care Bill is wrong and criminal. It is sickening that she won a Pulitzer. Please fire her and keep up the good work! By the way, Urban looks healthy to me, wow Urban is such a liar.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:00 pm
Your a good dude Jax Dawg, this years game should be the most interesting in years. Cant wait.
ReptilesRule
March 25th, 2010
12:01 pm
Many critical UGA fans on here could only WISH that Mark Richt would come out one day and defend one of his players as passonately as Meyer did!! I have even read here how many Dawg fans feel that Richt is TOO laid back. Yes, he’s a “classy guy” is what they will say, but deep down inside I think alot of Dawgs would love to see more “fire” in their program rather than the usual ho hum let’s go get ‘em wolf wolf. After all folks, the game of football IS a game of emotion. It is with the fans, with the coaches and families and most of all the players. Meyer is passionate about his players and will defend them and their families very forcefully if necessary. What kind of a coach would YOU be excited to play for?
Voice of Reason
March 25th, 2010
12:02 pm
Good comments Bama Aaron. Yes Meyer is an egotistical maniac, great coach, etc…….But it is refreshing to hear a panty waste reporter get his between the eyes.
winterDawg
March 25th, 2010
12:05 pm
This guy just can’t stand to not be in the media spotlight. He wins so there is no way UF says a word to him but if this was Ron Zook, I wonder how the university and the fans would react.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
Kind of reminds me when I had a coach back in the 60’s in Florida, invite a local reporter who wrote a sarcastic article about my team to come to practice to explain. The stupid reporter tried to explain himself by saying that the HC was unqualified and the coach told him that he was such a pu$$y that he probably never had jock itch. Everyone of course just howled and the guy left embarrassed.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:07 pm
Serious question to all Dawgs; I know it probably wouldn’t happen. But what would you say if it had of been Mark Richt?
georgiavol
March 25th, 2010
12:12 pm
Birds of a feather, fat man.
Gator Mike
March 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
Mr. Barnhardt and Ga Gator, You are entitled to your opinions as are the UGA Folks who despise Meyer only because he wins. If the Gators were not winners, this would not be an issue.
I am behind Coach Meyer, and I do not really give a hoot what any of you think about Coach Meyer and the Gators.
Ga Gator: As for wanting Spurrier back, you must be kidding. Spurrier left UF because his vast ego got in the way of common sense. He certainly is not showing much these days at SoCar.
We have a new season and a new QB. Brantley will be fine, and the Gators will continue to win.
GO GATORS!!!
Kevin
March 25th, 2010
12:15 pm
Tony: You know what would be really unique is if a journalist ever wrote an article calling another journalist “wrong”. A real journalist wouldn’t have tried to sensationalize a player who mispoke. However, we know you guys all rally around each other. That’s one reason why journalism has gotten into the pathetic state it is in.
Ted Striker
March 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
Meyer may be a good coach, but he makes Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino look like diplomatic geniuses.
poopdawg
March 25th, 2010
12:20 pm
Bob Newhart , now that was funny . I almost pissed on myself laughing. The only story is Urban Meyer not the Sentinel nor Thompson. Ga Gator I think i would be surprised if Richt would have handled it that way. He taken more crap than that before and always handles it with class.
Brainiac
March 25th, 2010
12:22 pm
HOOPS McCANN: I agree with you on Cynthia but if “Ears” Obama can win a “PEW LITZER PRIZE” they should just sell the pulitzers for one dollar each. Cynthia has a right to her opinion regardless of how stupid it comes out. Hardly a qualified journalist but both she and the editors she works for are clearily insane liberal socialists. They are better ignored.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:23 pm
Gator Mike, If you cannot see that Meyer is an egomaniac, you are blind. As far as Spurrier, the only reason he can’t win at SC is because he is at South Carolina. SC cannot recruit the athletes to win like he did at UF and his QB’s have been average at best and continue to be so.
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:24 pm
Poopdawg, you didn’t answer the question: what would you say IF Richt did the same?
Cracker Jacket
March 25th, 2010
12:25 pm
Meyer seems ready for another nerveous breakdown so soon? The man is mentally imbalanced!! Get a coach more stable like Johnson!
catlady
March 25th, 2010
12:25 pm
So what IS Myer’s role at UF? Is he the coach, or is he on leave? I missed a lot of this story–didn’t know he changed his mind (several times?)
ReptilesRule
March 25th, 2010
12:27 pm
Ga Gator…per your 12:07 post…was that a rhetorical question? I will answer it anyway…they would be stoked!!! You would be hearing comments like “go get ‘em Mark woof woof!” “don’t mess with the dawgs!” and of course the expected..”watch out Florida this year”!
Ga Gator
March 25th, 2010
12:29 pm
Reptile buddy, you are exactly correct; that’s why none have commented.
fran
March 25th, 2010
12:29 pm
can you say “psycho” ?,,,, sure i knew ya could….
termigator
March 25th, 2010
12:32 pm
Ga Gator, the silence to your question is deafening. Most Dawgs would love it if Richt showed some fire. Vince Dooley didnt have to show fire because he had Erk Russell and the Dawgs loved Erk more than we did Tebow.
Brainiac
March 25th, 2010
12:33 pm
Where does Meyer get off insinuating physical violence could come into play under certain conditions? Apparently the reporter was a rather small weakling type or that part would have been omitted. I am 71 years old and would welcome that little weazel taking a swing at me.