SEC should consider suspending Florida’s Spikes
This shouldn’t distract from the fact Georgia was outplayed and outclassed in every way in Jacksonville – nor from the fact that the Bulldogs committed four personal fouls themselves and have devolved into one of the nation’s most-penalized and least disciplined teams.
But SEC officials should look seriously at suspending Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.
By now, you’ve probably heard about or seen video of Spikes’ attempted eye-gouging of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in the third quarter of Saturday’s game.
If not, here it is.
Take a look and then I’ll be back.
(UPDATE: The previous video has been removed by YouTube for copyright issues. This is another version — not as clear but clear enough.)
Pretty nasty, huh?
Now, I’m sure this sort of thing happens all the time at the bottom of the pile in the NFL. I’m guessing it also happens sometimes at the bottom of the pile in SEC games, particularly with players who project to the NFL (Spikes). But there really is no excuse for it.
Spikes might claim that his attack was retaliation for twice getting his helmet knocked off by Bulldogs players earlier in the game. But trying to jam one’s fingers into another guy’s eyes is WAY over the line.
So far, there has been no reaction from SEC officials. They tend to look at these things on Mondays, and I’m sure I was one of a hundred media members seeking a statement Sunday. The hope is that commissioner Mike Slive treats this at least as seriously as he does coaches who whine about officiating.
Florida coach Urban Meyer called Spikes a “very emotional player,” adding, “If that’s the case, I will have a very serious talk with him.”
Dogs coach Mark Richt said on his Sunday night conference call that he hadn’t seen the video: “I did have someone bring it to my attention that they thought that might have happened or whatever, but I don’t want to make any kind of comment on that particular incident.”
I’ll update this late if the SEC comes out with a statement.
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402 comments Add your comment
Ex-bulldog-turned-felon
November 2nd, 2009
11:17 am
The SEC should consider suspending Georgia’s atrocious football program. When you produce more criminals than you do NFL players, you have a problem. Mark Richt baits the other team so that they move his inept offense with penalties. Oh well, guess you’ll try anything when you’re a perennial loser and embarrassment to the SEC. You might have a .500 record in the ACC, Dawgz.
Bobby Bowden
November 2nd, 2009
11:17 am
Oh, I don’t know. Boys will be boys.
Fisherman
November 2nd, 2009
11:19 am
Catfish31015 – I happen to know he was helping Ealy get his contact back in. As far as you go, you’d better carry waaaaaay more than a pool stick. He’d put your entire body in a can of Skoal.
Brandon Spikes' Brother
November 2nd, 2009
11:20 am
Catfish, where do you live?
catfish31015
November 2nd, 2009
11:22 am
Just need a pool cue to help poor Spikes have his vasectomy…..inbreds like him don’t need children anyway. LMAO.
UGA05
November 2nd, 2009
11:22 am
Go back to any game that UF has played espcially last year’s SEC championship game and you’ll see just the kind of player he truly is…a thug. Always hitting players on dead ball plays and running his mouth…look at the late hits on JPW last year and every other game. Can wait to see him sitting next to “Pacman” Jones in a cell…it will make for one heck of “Outside the Lines” story.
catfish31015
November 2nd, 2009
11:24 am
I live in GA, but right now you can find me over at your sisters. Why?
Chris Trudeau
November 2nd, 2009
11:26 am
charlotte_dawg creative…
Mikey
November 2nd, 2009
11:26 am
Spikes facial hair prevents a good hold with the chin strap and his big head of hair prevents the same with the helmet, so there you go…
Did anyone consider the possibility he was trying to remove the ugly red facemask from the black helmet?
The black helmet would have been much cooler with black facemasks…just sayin.
athensdawg
November 2nd, 2009
11:27 am
It is a sad commentary on the state of UGA football that our supposed fans are now all fired up about this eye-gouging thing.
We need to be hanging our heads in shame at our team’s performance. Furthermore, it is somewhat ironic that fans of the most undiciplined team in the SEC are now jumping on this bandwagon.
It’s kind of like Charles Manson saying at a parole hearing – ” hey, I’m not such a bad guy…did you see what that Dahmer guy did?”
Honestly, I think that it is something which goes on in every pile…we just happened to catch this on tape. If so, then the appropriate action needs to be taken, and it will.
But, for Georgia fans to focus on this just shows how much we don’t want to admit how bad we are….lets find something else to distract from the real issue here.
I saw a couple off things we did to Tebow in ‘07 that were very questionable – kneeing him in the head when he was down – for example. THAT was fine with the UGA crowd because UGA won. Now this eye gouging thing is some kind of national crime…..proof that UGA is always disrespected…which is what our fans truly believe.
The reason we get no respect is because we haven’t earned any. We won SEC titles when our primary foes were in a weakend state, and now that they are on their way back up, we don’t want to accept the fact that our coaches and team needs to man up and start winning. We are such persecuted martyrs…….whine, whine whine….i’m so tired of our fans complaining about the way the world is against us. Most good coaches rally their players around such a theme.
Our coaches just buy them some new lingere and hope it “adds some juice.”
I think that we need to petition the SEC to ban UGA football from the conference until our coaching staff can get its act together. We are an embarassment and our fans are delusional.
Daily Digest: November 2, 2009 - UGA News
November 2nd, 2009
11:28 am
[...] attempt to gouge UGA’s Washaun Ealey in the eyes, which has been met by many calls to suspend Spikes. And ESPN’s Chris Low says Georgia football is in [...]
Fisherman
November 2nd, 2009
11:31 am
catfish31015 – you have the sharpest mind. Very biting and original. Get a day job.
Lee Corso
November 2nd, 2009
11:32 am
Just an fyi- Spikes’ helmet comes off multiple times every game because it isn’t fitted properly- also, he loves showing off the dreads.
On a side note- with a million underclassmen coming out this year, Spikes is an idiot for not coming out last year. He definitely lost money by coming back and he already has a BCS championship. Clearly he isn’t a smart guy.
Houdawg
November 2nd, 2009
11:34 am
Simple …… the punk SOB should be suspended for the rest of the season. Hope somebody breaks his &#&^!%@ leg soon …….
EW
November 2nd, 2009
11:35 am
Did anyone else feel like the first personal foul call against us when we supposedly “ripped” of Spikes helmet was bogus? Look at the tape, he is leaning all the way over and our guys hand barely touches the bottom of the helmet and it pops off. Judging by how many times BS’s helmet comes off during every game I am thinking his pile of dreads had more to do with this than our guy doing something illegal. That penalty really killed the momentum on our opening drive. Not saying it’s why we lost of course, but it goes to a list of things that were frustrating to watch saturday.
Gatorzone
November 2nd, 2009
11:36 am
We are such persecuted martyrs…….whine, whine whine….i’m so tired of our fans complaining about the way the world is against us. Most good coaches rally their players around such a theme.
Athens, this is the best statement I have seen about the UGA fanbase.
Everyone is out to get UGA… Fans, Media, Refs, opposing players, etc. That is loser mentality that would serve your team well to change it.
tipshipp
November 2nd, 2009
11:36 am
Seems like a bunch of UGA fan’s crying as usual when they lose. This story should have high lighted the inept play, and mindless coaching of UGA.Spikes should be suspended, if the SEC has any conduct standards, but I seen worse and no one was castigated.
Brian
November 2nd, 2009
11:37 am
EW, the guy’s hand doesn’t touch much of the helmet because thehand is full of Spikes’ hair.
nizzy
November 2nd, 2009
11:39 am
Wow, you mean UF has thugs on it’s football team!?!? Shocking!!!!!!
EW
November 2nd, 2009
11:41 am
Gator Fans who are posting the video where Spikes supposedly gets eye gouged are ridiculous. #1 He wears a visor on his helmet. #2 the reason he got poked in the eye is because our FB came up to hit him and his helmet popped off (kind of like it did when we got the BS penalty on our first drive)because of his hair. If he would chop off his “wanna be Weezy” dreadlocks and put his helmet on properly things like this wouldn’t happen.
charlotte_dawg
November 2nd, 2009
11:41 am
It’s what i do
EW
November 2nd, 2009
11:42 am
Brian watch the video.
Brandon Spikes
November 2nd, 2009
11:42 am
Ok, folks, enough is enough. Let me try to explain what happened. You see, Ealey had this gigantic booger hanging out of his nose for like 5 straight plays. He kept trying to blow it out but it was one of those that just sort of hangs on. I was’t just helping him out. That’s all. You folks are making a mountain of a big booger.
Matthew
November 2nd, 2009
11:43 am
Players like Spikes with a lot of hair tend to get their helmets knocked off a bit easier.
Jeff
November 2nd, 2009
11:43 am
This is typical Florida and what Urban condones….if he didnt he would have handled it already. Urban is sewage and a disgrace to coaching if he lets this go. Hopefully EVERY player will declare open season on UF players if the powers that be sit back and ignore it. Lets see what lame GA Tech alum Mike Slive does now………………..
man up
November 2nd, 2009
11:45 am
when ealey got up, he showed no signs of just having his eyes gouged. has anyone asked HIM what happened?
Mike
November 2nd, 2009
11:47 am
THANK YOU GATORSAM! Think that sums up the sentiment of true UF/UGA fans!!! Agree with you 100%.
GMan
November 2nd, 2009
11:48 am
I’m looking for an official suspension from the SEC for the celebration two years ago and haven’t seen it yet either. Get real people…lets try to focus EVERYTHING on the Gator Nation now to see if somehow we can bring some attention to things that just don’t matter. Get a life!
AWJ (UGA Alumni)
November 2nd, 2009
11:52 am
John from 9:41 AM…
Are you serious? Not conclusive?? That is about the most obvious piece of CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE I have ever seen. I am sure that Ealey had a bug on his face or a gatorade mustache and BS was trying to clean it up for him….John you are in complete denial….
To those that say that it probably did not happen because Ealey did not mention it it postgames interviews make me laugh. How about Ealey having enough class not to call out someone like that in an interview, just let the tape speak for itself. One trash move by BS does not desrve another by Washan. It is called taking the high road…Get a clue!!!
Mike Slive
November 2nd, 2009
11:53 am
We’ve looked at the video, and Brandon’s story about Ealey’s booger seems pretty legit. Move along.
Hook em horns
November 2nd, 2009
11:54 am
Woe- I’m not even an SEC fan and that truely disgust me as it should any true fan of this great game. Have always heard Coach Meyer endorsed stuff like that behind the scenes with a “dont get caught attitude” Let’s see how much of a man and coach he is in addressing this. Players tend to take matters into their own hands- my thought is the Gators need to be brought back to earth bigtime.
BG
November 2nd, 2009
11:54 am
I hope Spikes tears his ACL the next game he plays in. SOB!
gatorINcali
November 2nd, 2009
11:55 am
The point is, the gators spanked the little doggies!!! So, stopped crying that daddy just had his way with you ladies!!! GO GATORS!!
GATOR HATER
November 2nd, 2009
11:55 am
GATOR FOR LIFE APPARENTLY YOU DONT KNOW THAT SPIKES PLAYS DEF AND WE WERE BLOCKING HIM NOT TRYING TO TACKLE HIM . ANOTHER FLORIDA PERSON NOT KNOWING WHAT IS GOING ON ON THE FIELD BUT STILL RUN THEIR MOUTH. HE GOT CAUGHT ON VIDEO AND WILL PAY FOR IT . PUBLIC APOLOGY TO EALEY AND UGA AND 3 GAME SUSP.
Crybaby
November 2nd, 2009
11:56 am
Anybody that pounds our team is sewage, slimy sewage.
AZ Jacket
November 2nd, 2009
11:56 am
athensdawg is right on. I think his statement goes for any fan base who is seeing their program fall apart in front of their eyes. It is easy to blame officials and thugs on the other team. I have already heard that a bogus call stopped our drive..his helmet always comes off. Keep your hands away from the helment and you won’t get called.
dawg watcher
November 2nd, 2009
11:56 am
Spikes should be suspended. Also, the refs did not flag Spikes for spiking the ball after he scored a touchdown. This is further proof that the refs are favoring the Gators. Tide, take note, your past ref favors will expire when you meet the Gators. Its Gator time, and the refs will help them all the way.
Earl
November 2nd, 2009
11:57 am
Is Urban Meyer going to Notre Dame?
AZ Jacket
November 2nd, 2009
11:59 am
Jeff, way to go. Bringing Tech into the mix. We were in Nashville beating up on Vandy. Tech had nothing to do with your Fla beat down.
Earl
November 2nd, 2009
11:59 am
Spike’s, What a joke for a football player.
Kim
November 2nd, 2009
12:00 pm
Please, you are all guessing. I know for SURE that the player would have jumped up & said something then, and after the game, if this had happened. Hells bells, I would say GA fans would’ve said something, but you chumps were all GONE.
Once a criminole, always a criminole. I’m watching this game (on tv this time). In the FIRST QUARTER you’ve got a face-mask (when the player was already out of bounds), a late hit on Tebow (that even the tv guys are shocked about), B Spikes helmet ripped off. That F$U taint is gonna stick to Richt & subsequently, UGAg.
Florida receiver David Nelson stared across the field, saw all the Georgia players jumping up and down, hooting and hollering after a touchdown and thought, “Here we go again.” The top-ranked Gators responded pretty much the same way they did last season — by pounding the Bulldogs. [ESPN]
Jay
November 2nd, 2009
12:00 pm
Brandon Spikes, top 5 MLB in the country (maybe the best). I played football too, free safety. For everyone that has played a TRUE RIVAL GAME in football knows what happens during these types of games. There is spittin, genitals grabbing, punches thrown, & pinches. Golic played in the NFL & i guarantee he did some things like this or maybe even worse. Let’s just face it, Spikes is a beast, trained to be a gladiator/warrior WHILE ON THE FIELD!! He’s never been arrested, academically ineligible, or disciplined while @ UF. Suspended or not: Still will be a national champion TWICE, still will be a top 10 NFL Draft Pick. Suspend him SEC, GATOR NATION NEEDS HIM TO BE WELL RESTED, CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER, PISSED OFF @ THE WORLD GOING INTO THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VS………… ALABAMA OR LSU. LOL!
GATOR HATER
November 2nd, 2009
12:01 pm
YEAH WE PULLED HER HAIR . HAHA BS WAS GETTING POUNDED ALL DAY AND HE WAS GETTING UPSET AND HAD TO TAKE IT OUT ON SOMEONE . GET A HAIRCUT BS YOU LOOK LIKE A GIRL ON ROIDS.ACT LIKE ONE TOO. WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND AND HE WILL GET PAID BACK IF NOT IN SEC THEN NFL. WAIT AND SEE
One Eyed Dawg
November 2nd, 2009
12:01 pm
I think he was going for a loose ball. Anyways, this happens in every pile.
Urb said he was gonna handle it. He’s obviously runs the most moral and disciplined program in the nation. Shows every week. No real story here
Jeff
November 2nd, 2009
12:02 pm
AZ Jacket- wasnt bringing the jackettes into it per se. Just the fact that Slive is a GT Alum- likely hesitant to do anything in favor of UGA-
dawgman
November 2nd, 2009
12:02 pm
Brandon Spikes should have to first be suspended for the rest of the season and then should have to appalogize to Washaun in person. Erban Meyer should be suspended for one game for not taking the incident seriously. As for you TECH (jock) supporters your day will come soon.
UGA_2001
November 2nd, 2009
12:03 pm
C’mon, Jeff, this is not normal or usual anywhere. If it were, NFL analysts like Golic and Hodge would not be commenting on it.
Don’t be so flakey. This was much worse than any personal foul I have ever seen.
Jarock
November 2nd, 2009
12:03 pm
I think that yes he should be suspended and I also think the guy who hit Tebow when he wasn’t even in the play should be suspended the guy who knocked his helment off should be suspended, they guy who knocked his helmet of the second time should be suspended the guy who hit him while is helmet was off should be suspended. This was a dirty game on both sides why are we just talking about this one play. If Spikes gets suspended so should at least four Georgia players.
AZ Jacket
November 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm
AWJ (UGA Alumni), not much logic in what you said. I don’t think he should have said anything but if he was poked in the eye don’t you think he would have needed some assistance on the side line. Everyone is real good a looking at video that was just focusing on one thing. I do think if UGA had won the game nothing would be said about this. At least from the UGA fans.
nathan
November 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm
YOU KNOW WHAT THE SEC OFFICIALS SHOULD DO? They should re-watch EVERY single SEC game every week using all camera angles looking specifically for missed penalties like this. Then, they should go suspend players for penalties they committed but weren’t called on the field.
Wait, that’s stupid. You can’t do this. I’m not condoning what Spikes did; it was a dirty play. But you can’t suspend him. Do you know how many dirty plays happen per game? You are opening up a Pandora’s box by suggesting acting on Spikes’ play. Let it be. If it wasn’t called on the field, you can’t penalize him now.