Gator Country

Many NFL draft experts believe Shariff Floyd will be a first-round selection in the year's draft. / Gator Country photo by Curtiss Bryant

Florida Gators fans recently were given a rare, inside look at Sharrif Floyd’s heart.

The junior defensive lineman who has declared for the 2013 NFL Draft sent a message to the Gator Nation in the form of an open letter to fans in a pair of newspaper advertisements.

The first was published in The Independent Florida Alligator school paper while the other ran in The Gainesville Sun this past Sunday.

His agent, University of Florida alum Jonathan Perzley of SportStars Inc. in New York City, explained Floyd’s reasoning behind buying the ads.

It obviously was not a ploy to try to improve his image heading into the draft, where some experts believe he’ll be a first-round pick.

“Trust me, if I could take credit for it I would (laughing), but this came from Sharrif and his (adoptive) father (Kevin Lahn),” Perzley said.

Both ads ran with a picture of Floyd. Here’s what the ad that ran in this past Sunday’s Gainesville Sun said:

Dear Gator Fans:
When I came down here from Philadelphia three years ago, you rolled out the red carpet for me and welcomed me warmly. My three years in Gainesville have been the best years of my life. As much as I would like to remain here for another year and win an SEC Championship, the opportunity for me to enter the NFL draft now was one I could not turn down. I am very excited about the opportunity to represent the University of Florida in the National Football League with my Gator brethren. I promise to come back from time to time to visit old friends and root the Gators on to another National Championship. Thanks to all of the Gator fans who have supported me and the team the last few years. You are the best!
Sincerely,
Sharrif Floyd

Gator for Life

Perzley said he’s never had a client take out an advertisement like that nor has he ever heard of any NFL-bound players doing anything similar.

“I worked with Sharrif with that — Him and his father are class acts, they really are,” Perzley said. “That is something that they wanted to do so we facilitated it. He has had such a great response (to the ad) social media wise from what I could tell.

“I’m not in Gainesville, so I don’t know what people are saying around there, so I look on Twitter and the fans seem to really be enjoying it.”

Although it wasn’t his idea, it’s something Perzley believes would be beneficial for other juniors to do. He said it simply was Floyd showing love to all of the people who showed him love over the past three seasons at Florida.

“I think it’s a great thing if a junior leaves early to do something like that,” Perzley said. “It just shows where his heart is. He’s going to be a very great pro, but he doesn’t want to forget Gainesville. A lot of people do do that, but that is not his intentions.

“It was great. I’m telling you, this guy is so far beyond. … His maturity levels are so far beyond what they should be for a 21-year-old kid. He’s got the head of a 30-year old, so he’s ready for the NFL.

“He’s just taking on the journey and he just wanted to thank everybody.”

About the author

MikeCapshaw

Mike’s 15 years in the business has included more than six years of covering SEC sports and recruiting at a daily newspaper in Arkansas. He has also helped launch a newspaper, magazines, websites and even a sports talk radio show. Mike has won Florida Press Association awards for Best Sports Game Story and Best Sports Feature Story in the past two years as well as a company-wide award at his former newspaper group that includes some 60 publications, for Excellence in Sports Reporting.

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