Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain announced on Monday that a senior player would be suspended for the season opener against UMass. He did not name the player and left everyone questioning which senior would miss the game.
As media and the fans were left feeling the need to know more, the subject inevitably came up again in McElwain’s post-practice press conference. He once again refused the question and replied with “good try.”
It was easy to tell from the sarcasm in his voice that McElwain wanted to get off the subject as quickly as possible, but the very next question he was asked why he was choosing not to disclose any information on the suspension. That’s when things got heated.
He has never been the kind of coach who tells the public more than he has to about things happening inside the team, especially when it comes to his players. This particular question and incident struck a chord for McElwain.
“I’m here to educate, I’m here to help and I’m here for our players,” McElwain said. “No. 1 first and foremost. And these are good players and good guys that sometimes make choices that aren’t the greatest, and yet I’m never going to be here to, ever … I’m here for them and learning from our choices and the decisions we make.”
McElwain became more and more emotional as he continued, and seemed to be close to the verge of tears while he stood up for his players in question. “I’m here to protect them too, and they’re kids,” he said.
“It’s no different than when you were a kid and you touched the hot stove. My guess is you didn’t go back and touch it again,” said McElwain. “You probably learned from it, right? So there’s your reason.”
There’s not always a rhyme or reason for the way McElwain does things, but one thing is for sure, he keeps his players as his number one priority even when they make mistakes.
“These are good players and good kids, and they mean well. Don’t ever forget that,” he said. “Because we write the negative all the time.”
So for now, we are left waiting until Saturday.