Heading into the Florida Gators matchup with Tennessee this weekend a picture surfaced and made the rounds on Twitter of a Tennessee Volunteer flag planted on Steve Spurrier’s statue commemorating his Heisman Trophy.
It’s unclear as to when the picture was taken, but posting it during the lead in to the rivalry game got the attention of at least one Gator player. Chauncey Gardner tweeted a response but has since deleted. Gardner was asked on Wednesday about the picture and tweet.
“I don’t know about other guys, but me, it’s a sign of disrespect,” he said. “Even though a fan did it, that’s something that you don’t do regardless of it’s a rivalry. That’s our property. You can’t come and vandalize what we’ve earned, what we did. It’s crazy.”
#FloridaHateWeek pic.twitter.com/QZsSRi55zI
— Vols Ego (2-0) (@VolsEgo) September 10, 2017
This type of thing is not new to Volunteer fans. A fan tweeted this photo in 2016 outside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nick Saban’s statue.
We made a stop in Tuscaloosa today. #ooooobz pic.twitter.com/k2KFCUjy9v
— Preston Morris (@PMo63) October 10, 2016
Florida lost to Tennessee for the first time in 11 years, blowing a 21-3 lead at halftime. The Gators and Volunteers will play again this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS in Gainesville.
Chauncey just shot up in my book to the top!