This is one of those columns I really didn’t want to write, which is why I let it marinate in the sauce for 24 hours before doing so. Yet I am still in a stew, slightly conflicted, with a bit of me on both sides.
Meanwhile, I wonder what can I add to this without exacerbating the situation. But I finally write, because, in the words of Brandon Spikes, “It’s what we do.”
First, though, full disclosure here: I wrote Urban Meyer’s authorized biography, made money on it (from the publisher, not Urban) and consider him to be a friend. I also think that when he has an issue with a media member he should deal directly with that person and not penalize the group.
By now you’ve pretty much heard what happened:
Writer quotes player in negative manner.
Meyer takes umbrage at what he perceives is a disservice to his player, Deonte Thompson, and probably to his former player, Tim Tebow.
Coach goes ballistic and confronts said writer after Wednesday practice, threatening to have his media credential pulled and his newspaper banned. Post-player interviews for the next two practices are canceled for everybody. Coach calls writer “a bad guy” and says if he had written the same story about his son, “We’d be going at it right now.”
It happened. Big whoop. No blood. Let’s move on to football.
If it were only that simple.
Too late. The genie bolts out of the bottle at warp speed, the Tweets are flying around like lightning bugs on an August night in a small South Georgia town and the lines are drawn in the dirt.
Instant experts emerge. Clairvoyants from 2,000 miles away have it all figured out, or so they think.
Meanwhile, those of us here left on the ground who were there when it went down are scratching our heads and wondering exactly what happened and how.
The blogoshere looks like Atlanta Hartsfield Airport on a Friday night.
The Florida Gator football program and the media around it have given the jackals more of their carcasses to pick clean, serving up a big softball to ESPN TV talk shows like Around The Horn, Pardon The Interruption, Jim Rome – as well as to everybody with a microphone or computer. Low hanging fruit for the national media boys. Some of them make Gator football and Meyer sound like a National Lampoon skit.
The tale is blogged and blathered to death.
You would hope that cooler heads would have prevailed. I am wondering whether Urban wishes the next day if he would have handled it differently – maybe called Fowler off to the side or asked him up to his office. Or maybe not. At the same time, the writer has a part in this because Fowler is an aggressive reporter who pushes the envelope with his subjects and his style, having written some adversarial pieces which reflect poorly on Meyer and his program. Fine, but when reporters and columnists do that, they should expect repercussions.
After a day of introspection, I conclude that nothing good can come of this unless it leads to a better understanding between the coach and those who cover him. Both have a job to do. Unfortunately, Meyer holds power over both. On the other hand, I completely understand why Urban would be miffed, but don’t really believe it would be possible to ban one media publication from covering a team based on what a writer writes.
Certainly it is within the province of Meyer to call out a writer and express his opposition to what he deems unfavorable treatment. And I have to agree that painting Thompson as a critique of Tebow would be disingenuous and in error, because I was standing nearby when Deonte said it and didn’t get the same perspective.
Let’s be honest here: When Deonte Thompson called Johnny Brantley a “real quarterback,” we knew what he meant. He didn’t diss Tim Tebow – he was equating Brantley to an efficient point guard who distributes the basketball.
The big issue is whether it was a deliberate attempt to embarrass Thompson, Meyer and the Gators, or just a good job of reporting straight news, but with errors of omission. It would have been prudent for the reporter—or some of the others who were there art the time—to ask Deonte to explain “real quarterback” if they didn’t understand. Fowler would even agree to that. Most of us knew what Thompson meant. In the eyes of the public, however, motive of the reporter remains is a big consideration.
Problem is, I can’t find the evidence.
The original Tweet from the Orlando Sentinel – which has apparently since been altered or maybe has been removed – said something like: “Tebow Blasphemy: Deonte takes a shot.” That Tweet is nowhere to be found.
It was the cigarette butt that started the forest fire.
To some people Urban Meyer is a hero, to others he looks like a jerk. Fowler, the Orlando Sentinel beat writer, has a heavy load to carry because the popularity of his profession these days ranks somewhere between bank presidents and mortgage brokers. Fans consider him a jerk.
My sense is that members of the Gator Nation are pro-Meyer, 10 to 1. My sense is also that the national perspective about Meyer is about the opposite. Does it matter to Meyer? Probably not, unless it impacts his recruiting. Some think it will even help because it depicted Meyer as a guy who stands up for his players.
Pick a side. If you were polling the opinions, I’m estimating about 90 percent of them are going in Meyer’s favor.
At a Volusia County Gator Club meeting in Port Orange Thursday night, I asked for a show of hands from the crowd of around 80 people. Five people thought Fowler handled it correctly. Do the math.
I will say this is fairly evident: If Urban Meyer’s leave of absence wasn’t over, it certainly is now. He’s back.
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Note: Here is part of the Deonte Thompson interview, but it does not include all of Fowler’s questions to him:
https://www.gatorcountry.com/football/article/gctv_azzanni_thompson_reed/8699