GAINESVILLE -- Florida coach Urban Meyer is a realist, and I like that about him. Young adults sometimes do dumb things. They get arrested. They smoke marijuana. They sometimes make poor decisions, and when you're a football player poor decisions become headlines. Meyer knows this all too well. On Wednesday, he addressed such things with his team.
Members of Meyer's team through the years have had more than a few minor disagreements with the law. At one point, arrests were beginning to change the perception of the program and even affect the standard of football Meyer has worked so hard to achieve. Let's hope those arrests are in the past. Meyer set out to make sure of that on Wednesday with what was probably his most important speech of the spring. He gathered his team after practice, everyone took a knee and then Meyer laid down the law.
Before we proceed, it should be noted that the current Gators have, for the most part, stayed out of trouble and represented UF with class. Meyer aims to see the high standards continue this summer. Last summer, arrests were a problem.
"No stealing! No drugs! No weapons!" Meyer emphasized to his Gators. He went on to remind his team that the program has a drug policy. If a player tests positive for marijuana, then that player will be punished by missing games.
Meyer should be applauded for giving this speech in public. It was delivered within earshot of fans and reporters. After practice, players said that Meyer consistently reminds them of UF's high standards. Wednesday was the Gators' final full practice of the spring. The team will have a light practice on Friday before Saturday's spring game. After that, Meyer and his coaching staff will have limited contact with the team due to the NCAA's restriction on practicing over the summer.
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